Broadway and the Tony Awards represent the zenith of achievement for many musical theatre aficionados, offering a platform to celebrate the crème de la crème from the world of musical theatre, surely the most entertaining, enlightening and moving art form to grace the stages of the world. While accolades and nominations are markers of recognition, some exceptional talents who have won Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical award over the years have never graced the stage in a production that clinched a nomination for Best Musical. Here’s a look at some of those stars, whose incredible performances live on in our memories and the ongoing legend of Broadway.

Note: The performers mentioned in this list had to originate a role in the original cast of a show nominated as Best Musical. In other words, performers who headlined revivals of such are included here. Rather than being ranked, this list is presented in chronological order.

13. Grace Hartman

Grace Hartman was a dynamo of comedic and musical talent. Her performance in Angel in the Wings earned her a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical at the second Tony Awards ceremony. At the first ceremony, only a single award was given to a performer from a musical, David Wayne in Finian’s Rainbow, making Hartman the first recipient of this award. Despite her groundbreaking win, the shows she starred in did not land a Best Musical nomination, only starring in two further revues on Broadway in the years that followed, a testament to her personal brilliance which often outshone the productions themselves.

12. Nanette Fabray

Nanette Fabray, an actress known for her impeccable timing and charming stage presence, won a Tony Award for Love Life, a production never nominated for Best Musical, possibly because at this stage in the history of the Tony Awards, no nominations were announced ahead of the ceremony. Nonetheless, her versatility and skill made her a standout performer, with Fabray having had precious personal success in High Button Shoes and receiving a further nomination many years later for her work in Irving Berlin’s final musical, Mr President.

11. Delores Gray

Delores Gray’s performance in Carnival in Flanders won her a Tony Award, but the show closed after a short run and never received a Best Musical nod. In fact, her performance is the shortest-lived Tony-honoured performance in history, with Carnival in Flanders only having had a run of 6 performances on Broadway. Gray’s extraordinary talent often graced revivals of great musicals made all the more memorable for her presence. Her final major role was Carlotta in the London production of Follies, where she put across an emotional reading of “I’m Still Here,” which she reprised at Broadway at the Bowl the following year.

10. Vivien Leigh

Vivien Leigh, most famous for her film work in Gone with the Wind and A Streetcar Named Desire, also left a lasting impression on Broadway, winning a Tony Award for her only role in a musical as Tatiana in Tovarich. It wasn’t the kind of show that traditionally snags a Best Musical nomination, but even the short clip of Leigh dancing up a storm with Byron Mitchell in “Wikes-Barre, Pa.” on The Ed Sullivan Show shows that her prowess as a performer transcended the acclaim of the work for which she is most remembered.

9. Liza Minnelli

Liza Minnelli, an icon of stage and screen, won her first Tony Award for her performance in Flora, the Red Menace. Minnelli’s star continued to rise regardless, underscoring her unmatched talent. Despite her undeniable star power and dynamic performances, neither this show nor The Act – for which Minnelli won a second Tony Award in the same category – secured a Best Musical nomination. I suppose, given that show’s thinness, this wasn’t surprising – but it’s wild to think that 1984’s The Rink (for which Minnelli’s co-star, Chita Rivera, won the Tony) never snatched a Best Musical nomination either!

8. Patricia Routledge

Best known for her television role in Keeping Up Appearances, Patricia Routledge has also had a stellar stage career, especially on the English stages of her home country. Her performance in Darling of the Day won her a Tony Award, but the show itself didn’t make the nominee list. Similarly, her involvement in 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue brought individual praise without the show – which had a cold critical reception – finding a spot among the Best Musicals of the season.

7. Natalia Makarova

This is probably the most predictable of the names to appear on this list. Natalia Makarova, a prima ballerina, won a Tony for her performance when she transformed herself into a musical theatre star as a fictional star of the ballet, Vera Baranova, in the Broadway revival of On Your Toes. While this transition was seamless, the production was a revival of a show that was by this time, a classic that did manage to take home the prize for the Best Revival of a Musical.

6. Tyne Daly

Tyne Daly’s portrayal of Rose in Gypsy earned her widespread admiration and a Tony Award. Despite this remarkable performance, the show was a revival, so this was a case Makarova’s On Your Toes history repeating itself, a pattern that characterises the rest of this list. Daly would appear in another Broadway musical a quarter of a century later. While the show, It Shoulda Been You, was a timely reflection of the legalisation of same-sex marriage in the United States, it was completely shut out at the Tony Awards, although those who watched the ceremony that year were treated to a number from the show, “Jenny’s Blues.”

5. Bebe Neuwirth

In some ways, Bebe Neuwirth is the biggest surprise on this list. She is a Broadway legend of the ilk which makes it astounding to see she has never started a run in a show that would be nominated for the Best Musical Award. Neuwirth won Tony Awards for her roles in the revivals of Sweet Charity and Chicago, the earlier of the two being in the Best Featured Actress category. Her portrayal of Velma Kelly, in particular, remains iconic, emphasizing her status as a Broadway legend despite the original shows she has headlined, like The Addams Family, not receiving the same plaudits as those in which she has revived roles or served as a cast replacement during a long run.

4. Natasha Richardson

Natasha Richardson’s hauntingly beautiful performance in the 1998 revival of Cabaret won her a Tony Award. It was the perfect match of actor and character in a landmark revival of a classic show. With her main body of work in plays and on film, this performance makes Richardson’s talent and legacy in musical theatre even more profound, all the more so in the light of her tragic death in a skiing accident at the age of 45.

3. Catherine Zeta-Jones

Another star of a musical in revival, Catherine Zeta-Jones won a Tony for her performance in A Little Night Music. Known for her versatile talent in film and theatre, this was a key moment for Zeta-Jones, who had started off her career in musical theatre in shows like The Pajama Game, 42nd Street and Street Scene, and who had also won an Oscar for her portrayal of Velma Kelly in the film adaptation for Chicago.

2. Cynthia Erivo

Cynthia Erivo’s powerhouse performance in the revival of The Color Purple won her a Tony Award, but she has yet to headline a new musical on the Main Stem. Erivo’s career has continued to soar, marked by her exceptional talent and numerous accolades across different entertainment mediums, and we are all looking forward to seeing her when the first of the two Wicked films drops later this year.

1. Bette Midler

Bette Midler’s triumphant return to Broadway in Hello, Dolly! won her a competitive Tony Award, following the special award she received in 1974 for adding lustre to the Broadway season. Despite her magnetic performance, Hello Dolly! was a revival and Midler’s only other credit in a Broadway musical was as a replacement in Fiddler on the Roof. Midler’s illustrious music, film, television and theatre career is as fabulous as she is, with her Broadway work holding a special place in fans’ hearts.

Final Thoughts

These thirteen remarkable actresses have each left an indelible mark on musical theatre history. Their individual achievements highlight their immense talent through a series of performances that continue to inspire current and future generations of performers. With this year’s Tony Awards taking place tomorrow, there’s a small chance that another performer joins their ranks as an individual without a Best Musical Tony Award-winning show on their resume: Eden Espinosa in this season’s Lempicka, which didn’t earn itself a nomination in the category, and Gayle Rankin, who is appearing in the revival of Cabaret. However, this year’s award is Maleah Joi Moon’s to lose, so it’s likely that this group venerated group will remain as is for at least one more season!