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Explore the people, places, events, achievements, struggles and stories that shaped our journey.
Movements, leaders, victories and the continuing fight for equality.
Innovation, patents, science, technology and world-changing contributions.
Pioneers, champions, Negro Leagues, records, activism and excellence.
Meet the people whose lives, choices and achievements shaped the journey.
Black towns, communities, institutions and places where history happened.
Moments that changed communities, movements, institutions and the nation.
Katherine Johnson’s mathematical calculations helped guide some of America’s most important early space missions while she confronted the racial and gender barriers faced by Black women in twentieth-century America.
MORE →Reflects the personal views, recollections, and perspective of the author, Mike Davis.
This is a personal recollection on the Move fire on May 13, 1985
| Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical | |
|---|---|
 2026 Recipient: Caissie Levy | |
| 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 | Caissie Levy for Ragtime (2026) |
| 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.
Angela Lansbury holds the record as the performer with the most wins in this category, with a total of four. Chita Rivera has the most nominations, with eight. The characters of Rose in Gypsy and Anna Leonowens in The King and I currently hold the record for most wins, each winning three times. Rose also holds the record for most nominations, with six.
| 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 |
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boldface=winner
Source: Wikipedia. Article content is retrieved live through the MediaWiki API.
Victoria Clark is an American actress, musical theatre soprano, and director. Clark has performed in numerous Broadway musicals and in other theatre, film and television works. Her voice can also be heard on various cast albums and in several animated films. In 2008, she released her first solo album titled Fifteen Seconds of Grace. A five-time Tony Award nominee, Clark won her first Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical in 2005 for The Light in the Piazza. She also won the Drama Desk Award, Outer Critics Circle Award, and the Joseph Jefferson Award for the role. She won a second Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical in 2023 for Kimberly Akimbo.
Jeff Blumenkrantz (born June 3, 1965) is an American actor, composer and lyricist. Born in Long Branch, New Jersey, Blumenkrantz is a graduate of Northwestern University School of Communication. His stage credits include roles in the Broadway productions Into the Woods (1987), The Threepenny Opera (1989), Damn Yankees (1994), How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (1995), A Class Act (2001), and Bright Star (2016), and Off Broadway in Murder for Two, the City Center Encores productions of Anyone Can Whistle, God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater, and The Golden Apple, and the New York Philharmonic productions of Candide (as Maximillian) and Sweeney Todd (as The Beadle), both filmed for PBS. He has also appeared in such television shows as Succession (TV series), Pose (TV series), Mr. Robot, The Blacklist (TV series), Fosse/Verdon, The Detour, Will & Grace, 30 Rock, The Good Wife, Ugly Betty, Just Shoot Me!, and Law & Order, and the films The Big Sick and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. In 2000, noted Broadway actress and recording artist Audra McDonald included Blumenkrantz's song "I Won't Mind" on her CD, How Glory Goes. This lullaby (with lyrics by Annie Kessler and Libby Saines) has become a staple of McDonald's repertoire. Blumenkrantz also contributed a piece to The Seven Deadly Sins, a song cycle commissioned by Carnegie Hall for the singer. His comic song, "My Book," addressed the sin of sloth. In 2003, Blumenkrantz was nominated for a Best Original Score Tony Award for his work on Urban Cowboy, a nomination he shared with Jason Robert Brown and others. He wrote the book, music, and lyrics for Scaffolding as part of the 2018 Inner Voices series. Scaffolding was directed by Victoria Clark and starred Rebecca Luker. His song "Ovid" was featured in the Prospect Theatre Company's production of Notes from Now at 59E59 Theaters. In 2005–2006, Blumenkrantz created and hosted The Jeff Blumenkrantz Songbook Podcast, a weekly podcast featuring the songs from his songbook, occasional additional episodes of which were released until at least February 2010. This project was succeeded in 2008 by the BMI Workshop Songbook Podcast, which Blumenkrantz hosted, showcasing the eponymous songbook, which features the work of members of the BMI Songwriters' Workshop. Blumenkrantz is the recipient of the 2011 Fred Ebb Award for excellence in musical theatre songwriting.
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." 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; the change was made by the awards committee to "have a greater impact on theatregoers". 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. Angela Lansbury holds the record as the performer with the most wins in this category, with a total of four. Chita Rivera has the most nominations, with eight. The characters of Rose in Gypsy and Anna Leonowens in The King and I currently hold the record for most wins, each winning three times. Rose also holds the record for most nominations, with six.
A Grand Night for Singing is a musical revue showcasing the music of Richard Rodgers and the lyrics of Oscar Hammerstein II. The show had an original cabaret production and a subsequent Broadway engagement where it was nominated for two Tony® Awards. Featuring songs from Carousel, Oklahoma!, The King and I, South Pacific, Cinderella, The Sound of Music, Allegro, Me and Juliet, State Fair, Pipe Dream and Flower Drum Song, it originally was presented at Rainbow & Stars, the cabaret venue at The Rainbow Room restaurant atop Rockefeller Center. The original production titled, "A Grand Night For Singing! The Rodgers & Hammerstein Revue Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of their Historic Collaboration," (www.AGrandNightForSinging.com) ran for 1 preview plus 60 performances from March 2, 1993 to April 10, 1993 at Rainbow & Stars where The New York Times called the show a "radiant new revue" and a "musical masterstroke." This original production starred Victoria Clark, Jason Graae, Martin Vidnovic, Lynne Wintersteller, and Karen Ziemba with musical direction by Fred Wells and direction by Walter Bobbie. It was part of a ten year series of musical revues conceived and produced by Gregory Dawson, Steve Paul, and Scott Perrin which saluted Cole Porter, Rodgers & Hart (starring Elaine Stritch and Margaret Whiting), Irving Berlin (starring Kaye Ballard), the Gershwins (starring JoAnne Worley), Julie Styne, Lerner & Loewe, Leonard Bernstein, and the R&B and pop eras (starring Marianne Faithfull and Darlene Love). During the six week run at Rainbow & Stars, the United States Postmaster General introduced the Rodgers & Hammerstein 50th Anniversary commemorative postage stamp at a luncheon in The Rainbow Room. At the start of that luncheon, the original surrey with the fringe on top with two white horses - as described in the lyric of the Broadway musical, Oklahoma! - greeted guests at the Rockefeller Plaza entrance to The Rainbow Room. The publicist for the show, David Lotz, created a notable press release for that occasion with the headline, "Whoa! Here Come Those High-Steppin' Strutters!" In conjunction with all the festivities, there was significant national press attention commemorating the anniversary. After 41 previews, the Broadway production, directed by Walter Bobbie and choreographed by Pamela Sousa, with vocal arrangements by Fred Wells and orchestrations by Michael Gibson and Jonathan Tunick, opened on November 17, 1993, at the Criterion Center Stage Right, where it ran for 52 performances. Victoria Clark, Jason Graae, Alyson Reed, Martin Vidnovic, and Lynne Wintersteller comprised the cast. Martin Vidnovic was replaced by Gregg Edelman on the cast recording and some later performances. The Broadway engagement was nominated for two Tony Awards: Best Musical and Best Book of a Musical. It is the only production in Broadway history to be nominated for Best Book of a Musical that has no script - there are no spoken words. It is also the only revue in history to be nominated for Best Book of a Musical since revues are generally not eligible for awards that require a narrative framework. So, the nomination for Best Book of a Musical was in recognition of the sequence of songs. The show was also nominated for the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Revue. An original cast archival recording of the Rainbow & Stars production is available at www.AGrandNightForSinging.com. An original cast recording of the Broadway version was released by Varèse Sarabande.
Before the 1921 destruction of Tulsa’s Greenwood District, Black residents had created a remarkable center of business and community life. The district included stores, professional offices, entertainment venues and homes owned by Black citizens. Understanding Greenwood means learning what was built—not only what was burned.
MORE →Brown v. Board of Education in 1954.
