Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical

Tony Award

The Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical is an honor presented at the Tony Awards, a ceremony established in 1947 as the Antoinette Perry Awards for Excellence in Theatre, to actresses for quality leading roles in a musical play, whether a new production or a revival. The awards are named after Antoinette Perry, an American actress who died in 1946.

Honors in several categories are presented at the ceremony annually by the Tony Award Productions, a joint venture of The Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing, to "honor the best performances and stage productions of the previous year."^[1]

The award was originally called the Tony Award for Actresses—Musical. It was first presented to Grace Hartman at the 2nd Tony Awards for her portrayal of various characters in Angel in the Wings. Before 1956, nominees' names were not made public;^[2] the change was made by the awards committee to "have a greater impact on theatregoers".^[3]

In 1965, Liza Minnelli, age 19, became the youngest actress to win the award. She is followed by Lea Salonga, age 20, in 1991. In 2017, Bette Midler, age 71, became the oldest actress to win the award. She is followed by Victoria Clark, age 63, in 2023.

Winners and nominees

  indicates the winner

Nanette Fabray won for Love Life (1949)

Mary Martin won three times: for South Pacific (1950), Peter Pan (1955), and The Sound of Music (1960)

Gertrude Lawrence won for The King and I (1952)

Rosalind Russell won for Wonderful Life (1953)

Gwen Verdon won for Damn Yankees (1956)

Diahann Carroll won for No Strings (1962)

Vivien Leigh won for Tovarich (1963)

Carol Channing won for Hello, Dolly! (1964)

Liza Minnelli won twice: for Flora the Red Menace (1965) and The Act (1978)

Angela Lansbury won four times: for Mame (1966), Dear World (1969), Gypsy (1975), and Sweeney Todd (1979)

Lauren Bacall won twice: for Applause (1970) and Woman of the Year (1985)

Glynis Johns won for A Little Night Music (1973)

Patti LuPone won twice: for Evita (1980) and Gypsy (2008)

Jennifer Holliday won for Dreamgirls (1982)

Chita Rivera won twice: for The Rink (1984) and Kiss of the Spider-Woman (1993)

Bernadette Peters won twice: for Song and Dance (1986) and Annie Get Your Gun (1999)

Tyne Daly won for Gypsy (1990)

Lea Salonga won for Miss Saigon (1991)

Donna Murphy won twice: for Passion (1994) and The King and I (1996)

Glenn Close won for Sunset Boulevard (1995)

Bebe Neuwirth won for Chicago (1997)

Idina Menzel won for Wicked (2004)

Christine Ebersole won twice: for 42nd Street (2001) and Grey Gardens (2007)

Sutton Foster won twice: for Thoroughly Modern Millie (2004) and Anything Goes (2011)

Victoria Clark won twice: for The Light in the Piazza (2005) and Kimberly Akimbo (2023)

LaChanze won for The Color Purple (2006)

Catherine Zeta-Jones won for A Little Night Music (2010)

Audra McDonald won for Porgy and Bess (2012)

Patina Miller won for Pippin (2013)

Kelli O'Hara won for The King and I (2015)

Cynthia Erivo won for The Color Purple (2016)

Bette Midler won for Hello Dolly! (2017)

Katrina Lenk won for The Band's Visit (2018

Adrienne Warren won for Tina (2020)

Joaquina Kalukango won for Paradise Square (2022)

1940s

1950s

1960s

1970s

1980s

1990s

2000s

2010s

2020s

Notes

1. The category was not given due to an insufficient number of musicals during the season.

Statistics

Most wins

4 wins

• Angela Lansbury

3 wins

• Mary Martin
• Gwen Verdon
• Patti LuPone

2 wins

• Lauren Bacall
• Victoria Clark
• Christine Ebersole
• Sutton Foster
• Liza Minnelli
• Donna Murphy
• Bernadette Peters
• Chita Rivera

Most nominations

8 nominations

• Chita Rivera

7 nominations

• Sutton Foster
• Kelli O'Hara

6 nominations

• Bernadette Peters

5 nominations

• Patti LuPone
• Donna Murphy
• Gwen Verdon

4 nominations

• Carol Channing
• Angela Lansbury
• Mary Martin

3 nominations

• Julie Andrews
• Jessie Mueller
• Christine Ebersole
• Dee Hoty
• Dorothy Loudon
• Audra McDonald
• Ethel Merman
• Liza Minnelli
• Faith Prince

2 nominations

• Lauren Bacall
• Stephanie J. Block
• Georgia Brown
• Carolee Carmello
• Kristin Chenoweth
• Victoria Clark
• Carmen Cusack
• Sandy Duncan
• Nanette Fabray
• Dolores Gray
• Barbara Harris
• Judy Kuhn
• LaChanze
• Beth Leavel
• Beatrice Lillie
• Rebecca Luker
• Marin Mazzie
• Patina Miller
• Idina Menzel
• Eva Noblezada
• Laura Osnes
• Tonya Pinkins
• Maryann Plunkett
• Alice Ripley
• Sherie Rene Scott
• Alexis Smith
• Elaine Stritch
• Inga Swenson
• Nancy Walker

Character win total

3 wins

• Anna Leonowens from The King and I
• Rose from Gypsy

2 wins

• Desiree Armfeldt from A Little Night Music
• Celie Harris Johnson from The Color Purple
• Dolly Gallagher Levi from Hello, Dolly!

Character nomination total

5 nominations

• Rose from Gypsy

4 nominations

• Mrs. Lovett from Sweeney Todd
• Peter Pan from Peter Pan and Jerome Robbins' Broadway

3 nominations

• Anna Leonowens from The King and I
• Charity Hope Valentine from Sweet Charity
• Phyllis Rogers Stone from Follies

2 nominations

• Amalia Balash from She Loves Me
• The Baker's Wife from Into the Woods
• Bess from Porgy and Bess
• Caroline Thibodeaux from Caroline, or Change
• Celie Harris Johnson from The Color Purple
• Desiree Armfeldt from A Little Night Music
• Dolly Gallagher Levi from Hello, Dolly!
• Dot / Marie from Sunday in the Park with George
• Eliza Doolittle from My Fair Lady
• Ella Peterson from Bells Are Ringing
• Ensign Nellie Forbush from South Pacific
• Fiona MacLaren from Brigadoon
• Kim from Miss Saigon
• Lilli Vanessi / Katharine from Kiss Me, Kate
• Lily Garland / Mildred Plotka from On the Twentieth Century
• Lizzie Curry from 110 in the Shade
• Lucille Frank from Parade
• Marian Paroo from The Music Man
• Mother from Ragtime
• Reno Sweeney from Anything Goes
• Ruth Sherwood from Wonderful Town
• Sally Bowles from Cabaret
• Sarah Brown from Guys and Dolls
• Velma Kelly from Chicago

Characters nominated for both the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play and the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical

• Joan of Arc from Goodtime Charley, Saint Joan, Joan of Lorraine and The Lark
• Countess Aurelia from The Madwoman of Chaillot and Dear World
• Sally Bowles from I Am a Camera and Cabaret
• Leona Samish from The Time of the Cuckoo and Do I Hear a Waltz?
• Dolly Gallagher Levi from The Matchmaker and Hello Dolly!
• Lena Younger from A Raisin in the Sun and Raisin
• Mame Dennis from Auntie Mame and Mame
• Eliza Gant from Look Homeward, Angel and Angel
• Claire Zachanassian The Visit (play) and The Visit (musical)
• Sister Margaret Alexander from The Amen Corner and Amen Corner (musical)
• Eliza Doolittle from Pygmalion and My Fair Lady
• Lizzie Curry from The Rainmaker and 110 in the Shade.
• Lily Garland / Mildred Plotka from Twentieth Century and On the Twentieth Century
• Madame Arcati from Blithe Spirit and High Spirits
• Anna Christopherson from Anna Christie and New Girl in Town

Productions with multiple nominations

boldface=winner

• New Girl in Town – Thelma Ritter and Gwen Verdon (tie)
• Company – Susan Browning and Elaine Stritch
• Follies – Dorothy Collins and Alexis Smith
• Chicago – Chita Rivera and Gwen Verdon
• Annie – Dorothy Loudon and Andrea McArdle
• Dreamgirls – Jennifer Holliday and Sheryl Lee Ralph
• The Rink – Liza Minnelli and Chita Rivera
• Black and Blue – Ruth Brown and Linda Hopkins
• Guys and Dolls – Josie de Guzman and Faith Prince
• Urinetown – Nancy Opel and Jennifer Laura Thompson
• Wicked – Kristin Chenoweth and Idina Menzel
• War Paint – Christine Ebersole and Patti LuPone
• The Prom – Caitlin Kinnunen and Beth Leavel

Multiple awards and nominations

Actresses who have been nominated multiple times in any acting categories

See also

• Theatre portal

• Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play
• Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play
• Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical
• Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical
• Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Lead Performance in a Musical
• Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical
• List of Tony Award-nominated productions

References

1. Kirkley, Donald (April 21, 1968). "Operation Frenzy Before the Tony Awards". The Baltimore Sun. p. T2. Retrieved December 24, 2011. (subscription required)
2. Simons, Linda Keir (1994). The Performing Arts: a Guide to the Reference Literature. ABC-CLIO. p. 137. ISBN 978-0-87287-982-9. Archived from the original on 2013-06-22. Retrieved 2012-01-14.
3. Gelb, Arthur (April 1, 1956). "Popularizing the Tony Awards". The New York Times. Retrieved January 14, 2011. (subscription required)
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49. "2000 Tony Awards Nominees". American Theatre Wing. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
50. "2001 Tony Awards Nominees". American Theatre Wing. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
51. "2002 Tony Awards Nominees". American Theatre Wing. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
52. "2003 Tony Awards Nominees". American Theatre Wing. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
53. "2004 Tony Awards Nominees". American Theatre Wing. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
54. "2005 Tony Awards Nominees". American Theatre Wing. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
55. "2006 Tony Awards Nominees". American Theatre Wing. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
56. "2007 Tony Awards Nominees". American Theatre Wing. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
57. "2008 Tony Awards Nominees". American Theatre Wing. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
58. "2009 Tony Awards Nominees". American Theatre Wing. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
59. "2010 Tony Awards Nominees". American Theatre Wing. Retrieved August 10, 2023.
60. "2011 Tony Awards Nominees". American Theatre Wing. Retrieved August 10, 2023.
61. "2012 Tony Awards Nominees". American Theatre Wing. Retrieved August 10, 2023.
62. "2013 Tony Awards Nominees". American Theatre Wing. Retrieved August 10, 2023.
63. "2014 Tony Awards Nominees". American Theatre Wing. Retrieved August 10, 2023.
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65. "2016 Tony Awards Nominees". American Theatre Wing. Retrieved August 10, 2023.
66. "2017 Tony Awards Nominees". American Theatre Wing. Retrieved August 10, 2023.
67. "2018 Tony Awards Nominees". American Theatre Wing. Retrieved August 10, 2023.
68. "2019 Tony Awards Nominees". American Theatre Wing. Retrieved August 10, 2023.
69. Garvey, Marianne (September 26, 2021). "See who won at the Tony Awards". CNN. Retrieved September 27, 2021.
70. "2022 Tony Awards Nominees". American Theatre Wing. Retrieved August 10, 2023.
71. "2023 Tony Awards Nominees". American Theatre Wing. May 2, 2023. Retrieved August 10, 2023.
72. "2023 Tony Awards Nominees". American Theatre Wing. May 2, 2023. Retrieved August 10, 2023.

External links

• Internet Broadway Database Awards Archive
• Official Tony Awards Website Archive