Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical

The Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical was first awarded at the 1974-1975 Drama Desk Awards and has been awarded every year since. Before the 21st Drama Desk Awards, acting awards were given without making distinctions between roles in straight dramas as opposed to musicals, nor were there separate categories for actors and actresses.

Award winners and nominations

1970s

1975: Angela Lansbury – Gypsy Marsha McClain – Where's Charley? Stephanie Mills – The Wiz Bernadette Peters – Mack & Mabel Ann Reinking – Goodtime Charley 1976: Kelly Bishop and Donna McKechnie – A Chorus Line Kelly Bishop – A Chorus Line Penny Fuller – Rex Patti LuPone – The Robber Bridegroom Virginia Seidel – Very Good Eddie Elizabeth Wilson – The Threepenny Opera 1977: Clamma Dale – Porgy and Bess Joan Copeland – Pal Joey Catherine Cox – Music Is Esther Hinds – Porgy and Bess Julia McKenzie – Side by Side by Sondheim Meryl Streep – Happy End

1978: Nell Carter – Ain't Misbehavin' Carlin Glynn – The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas Judy Kaye – On the Twentieth Century Angela Lansbury – The King and I Phyllis Newman – My Mother Was a Fortune Teller Charlaine Woodard – Ain't Misbehavin' 1979: Angela Lansbury – Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street Lucie Arnaz – They're Playing Our Song Dorothy Loudon – Ballroom

1980s

1980: Patti LuPone – Evita Sandy Duncan – Peter Pan Ann Miller – Sugar Babies Sigourney Weaver – Das Lusitania Songspiel 1981: Lena Horne – Lena Horne: The Lady and Her Music Chita Rivera – Bring Back Birdie 1982: Jennifer Holliday – Dreamgirls Sheryl Lee Ralph – Dreamgirls 1983: Natalia Makarova – On Your Toes Mara Beckerman – Charlotte Sweet Betty Buckley – Cats Ellen Greene – Little Shop of Horrors Twiggy – My One and Only 1984: Chita Rivera – The Rink Alyson Reed – Marilyn: An American Fable Bernadette Peters – Sunday in the Park with George Liza Minnelli – The Rink Shirley MacLaine – Shirley MacLaine on Broadway

1986: Bernadette Peters – Song and Dance Ann Morrison – Goblin Market Cleo Laine – The Mystery of Edwin Drood Terri Klausner – Goblin Market Patti Cohenour – The Mystery of Edwin Drood Debbie Allen – Sweet Charity 1987: Teresa Stratas – Rags Maryann Plunkett – Me and My Girl Lonette McKee – Lady Day at Emerson's Bar & Grill Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio – The Knife 1988: Patti LuPone – Anything Goes Bernadette Peters – Into the Woods Judy Kuhn – Chess Sarah Brightman – Phantom of the Opera 1989: Toni diBuono – Forbidden Broadway Beth Fowler – Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street Roxie Lucas – Forbidden Broadway Faith Prince – Jerome Robbins' Broadway Debbie Shapiro – Jerome Robbins' Broadway Lynne Wintersteller – Closer Than Ever

1990s

1990: Tyne Daly – Gypsy Georgia Brown – The Threepenny Opera Beth Fowler – Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street 1991: Lea Salonga – Miss Saigon June Angela – Shogun LaChanze – Once on This Island Daisy Egan – The Secret Garden 1992: Faith Prince – Guys and Dolls Donna Murphy – Song of Singapore Sophie Hayden – The Most Happy Fella 1993: Chita Rivera – Kiss of the Spider Woman Laura Bell Bundy – Ruthless! Donna English – Ruthless! Helen Schneider – Frida Linda Stephens – Wings 1994: Donna Murphy – Passion Margaret Illmann – The Red Shoes Melissa Errico – My Fair Lady Susan Egan – Beauty and the Beast 1995: Glenn Close – Sunset Boulevard Candy Buckley – The Petrified Prince Julie Johnson – Das Barbecü Lonette McKee – Show Boat Elaine Stritch – Show Boat

1996: Julie Andrews – Victor/Victoria Terri Klausner – Bed and Sofa Christa Moore – Big Donna Murphy – The King and I Daphne Rubin-Vega – Rent Karen Ziemba – I Do! I Do! 1997: Bebe Neuwirth – Chicago Linda Eder – Jekyll and Hyde Pamela Isaacs – The Life Lauren Ward – Violet Karen Ziemba – Steel Pier 1998: Natasha Richardson – Cabaret Melissa Errico – High Society Marin Mazzie – Ragtime Alice Ripley – Side Show 1999: Carolee Carmello – Parade and Bernadette Peters – Annie Get Your Gun Siân Phillips – Marlene Marlene

2000s

2000: Heather Headley – Aida Toni Collette – The Wild Party (New York Shakespeare Festival) Rebecca Luker – The Music Man Marin Mazzie – Kiss Me, Kate Audra McDonald – Marie Christine Julia Murney – The Wild Party (Manhattan Theatre Club) 2001: Marla Schaffel – Jane Eyre Christine Ebersole – 42nd Street Kaitlin Hopkins – Bat Boy: The Musical LaChanze – The Bubbly Black Girl Sheds Her Chameleon Skin Sally Mayes – Pete n' Keely Faith Prince – Bells Are Ringing 2002: Sutton Foster – Thoroughly Modern Millie Laura Benanti – Into the Woods Garret Long – The Spitfire Grill Louise Pitre – Mamma Mia! Sherie Rene Scott – The Last Five Years Vanessa L. Williams – Into the Woods 2003: Marissa Jaret Winokur – Hairspray Stephanie D'Abruzzo – Avenue Q Ann Duquesnay – Cookin' at the Cookery Wei Huang – La bohème Elizabeth Parkinson – Movin' Out Bernadette Peters – Gypsy 2004: Donna Murphy– Wonderful Town Kristin Chenoweth – Wicked Judy McLane – Johnny Guitar Idina Menzel– Wicked Elaine Paige – Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street Tonya Pinkins – Caroline, or Change

2005: Victoria Clark – The Light in the Piazza Christina Applegate – Sweet Charity Sutton Foster – Little Women LaChanze – Dessa Rose Sherie Rene Scott – Dirty Rotten Scoundrels Rachel York – Dessa Rose 2006: Christine Ebersole – Grey Gardens Nancy Anderson – Fanny Hill Sutton Foster – The Drowsy Chaperone Patti LuPone – Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street Idina Menzel – See What I Wanna See Kelli O'Hara – The Pajama Game 2007: Audra McDonald – 110 in the Shade and Donna Murphy – LoveMusik Ashley Brown – Mary Poppins Laura Bell Bundy – Legally Blonde Kristin Chenoweth – The Apple Tree Lea Michele – Spring Awakening 2008: Patti LuPone – Gypsy Sierra Boggess – The Little Mermaid Kelli O'Hara – South Pacific Faith Prince – A Catered Affair Alice Ripley – Next to Normal Jenna Russell – Sunday in the Park with George 2009: Allison Janney – 9 to 5 Stephanie J. Block – 9 to 5 Stockard Channing – Pal Joey Sutton Foster – Shrek the Musical Megan Hilty – 9 to 5 Karen Murphy – My Vaudeville Man

2010s

2010: Montego Glover – Memphis and Catherine Zeta-Jones – A Little Night Music Kate Baldwin – Finian's Rainbow Jayne Houdyshell – Coraline Christiane Noll – Ragtime Sherie Rene Scott – Everyday Rapture 2011: Sutton Foster – Anything Goes Beth Leavel – Baby It's You Patina Miller – Sister Act Donna Murphy – The People in the Picture Sherie Rene Scott – Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown Multiple Winners 3 wins Angela Lansbury Patti LuPone Donna Murphy 2 wins Bernadette Peters Chita Rivera Sutton Foster Multiple Nominees 6 nominations Donna Murphy Bernadette Peters 5 nominations Sutton Foster Angela Lansbury Patti LuPone 4 nominations Faith Prince Sherie Rene Scott 3 nominations LaChanze Chita Rivera 2 nominations Laura Bell Bundy Kristin Chenoweth Christine Ebersole Melissa Errico Beth Fowler Terri Klausner Marin Mazzie Audra McDonald Lonette McKee Idina Menzel Kelli O'Hara Alice Ripley Karen Ziemba References http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0152906.html http://dramadesk.com/ http://www.ibdb.com/ 2002 New York Times article