Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical | |
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Awarded for | Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical |
Location | New York City |
Presented by | American Theatre Wing The Broadway League |
Currently held by | Maleah Joi Moon for Hell's Kitchen (2024) |
Website | TonyAwards.com |
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.
Year | Actress | Musical | Role(s) | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
1947 (1st) | Not awarded | |||
1948 (2nd) | ||||
Grace Hartman | Angel in the Wings | Nettie / Mrs. Blodgett / Ruth / Mrs. Hutchinson | ||
1949 (3rd) | ||||
Nanette Fabray | Love Life | Susan Cooper |
Year | Actress | Musical | Role(s) | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
1950 (4th) | ||||
Mary Martin | South Pacific | Ensign Nellie Forbush | ||
1951 (5th) | ||||
Ethel Merman | Call Me Madam | Sally Adams | ||
1952 (6th) | ||||
Gertrude Lawrence | The King and I | Anna Leonowens | ||
1953 (7th) | ||||
Rosalind Russell | Wonderful Town | Ruth Sherwood | ||
1954 (8th) | ||||
Dolores Gray | Carnival in Flanders | Cornelia | ||
1955 (9th) | ||||
Mary Martin | Peter Pan | Peter Pan | ||
1956 (10th) | ||||
Gwen Verdon | Damn Yankees | Lola | [4] | |
Carol Channing | The Vamp | Flora Weems / Delilah | ||
Nancy Walker | Phoenix '55 | Various Characters | ||
1957 (11th) | ||||
Judy Holliday | Bells Are Ringing | Ella Peterson | [5] | |
Julie Andrews | My Fair Lady | Eliza Doolittle | ||
Ethel Merman | Happy Hunting | Liz Livingstone | ||
1958 (12th) | ||||
Thelma Ritter | New Girl in Town | Marthy Owen | [6] | |
Gwen Verdon | Anna Christopherson | |||
Lena Horne | Jamaica | Savannah | ||
Beatrice Lillie | Ziegfeld Follies of 1957 | Various Characters | ||
1959 (13th) | ||||
Gwen Verdon | Redhead | Essie Whimple | [7] | |
Miyoshi Umeki | Flower Drum Song | Mei-Li |
Year | Actress | Musical | Role(s) | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
2020 (74th) | ||||
Adrienne Warren | Tina | Tina Turner | [69] | |
Karen Olivo | Moulin Rouge! | Satine | ||
Elizabeth Stanley | Jagged Little Pill | Mary Jane Healy | ||
2022 (75th) | ||||
Joaquina Kalukango | Paradise Square | Annabelle "Nelly" Freeman | [70] | |
Sharon D. Clarke | Caroline, or Change | Caroline Thibodeaux | ||
Carmen Cusack | Flying Over Sunset | Clare Boothe Luce | ||
Sutton Foster | The Music Man | Marian Paroo | ||
Mare Winningham | Girl from the North Country | Elizabeth Laine | ||
2023 (76th) | ||||
Victoria Clark | Kimberly Akimbo | Kimberly Levaco | [71] | |
Annaleigh Ashford | Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street | Mrs. Lovett | ||
Sara Bareilles | Into the Woods | The Baker's Wife | ||
Lorna Courtney | & Juliet | Juliet | ||
Micaela Diamond | Parade | Lucille Frank | ||
2024 (77th) | ||||
Maleah Joi Moon | Hell's Kitchen | Ali | [72] | |
Eden Espinosa | Lempicka | Tamara de Lempicka | ||
Kelli O'Hara | Days of Wine and Roses | Kirsten Arnesen-Clay | ||
Maryann Plunkett | The Notebook | Allison "Allie" Calhoun (older) | ||
Gayle Rankin | Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club | Sally Bowles | ||
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