The only appropriate reaction, no matter how many times you witness Jennifer Holliday's tremendous performance of Dreamgirls' rafter-ripping Act I conclusion, is still astonishment. After some backstage squabbling, the scene begins at the three-minute mark. Holliday, who plays a lady caught in a vicious cycle of rejection on both a personal and professional level, seizes her aria by the throat and extracts every last drop of sobbing agony from it. She was only 21 at the time, which is amazing.

Director Michael Bennett, a master of dynamic stagecraft, chooses painful slowness in this instance. Up to the striking penultimate picture of the performance, Holliday's movement grounds her in unyielding abasement: As she descends under the golden waves of a falling curtain, the singer lets out a massive scream, her face a Kabuki mask of agony, and cries out one last note. That is greatness, not just showbiz. This is one of Best Tony Awards Performances Of All Time.

Year: 1982

On the 1990 Tony Awards broadcast, Michael Jeter and Brent Barrett do a performance of "We'll Take a Glass Together" from Grand Hotel. Has there ever been a more perfect distillation of inebriated glee than Michael Jeter's rendition of this upbeat Grand Hotel song?

The liquid-limbed Jeter appears to lose all of his bones as a terminally ill accountant determined to enjoy life while he can, urged by a sinister baron (a strong Brent Barrett). He kicks, twists, flails, and leaps with an amazing combination of control and release; He explodes out in wonderfully messy relief from the tight chorus dancing Charleston-style steps behind him in Tommy Tune's clever staging (the bar is a barre).

This song is largely recognized with turning around Grand Hotel's financial situation, and Jeter earned the well-deserved Tony Award for Best Featured Actor after paradoxically concluding his victory speech with a stirring defense of his hard-found sobriety.

Year: 1990

The strange thing about performing in the enormous Radio City Music Hall, where the Tony Awards have been held almost annually since 1997, is that solos or relatively small scenes—which can be photographed closely—tend to do better there than larger-scale production numbers, which frequently seem a little lost in the space. Of course, the ideal performance would be a solo by a performer whose presence and brilliance could fill the entire room as well as the camera. And Patti LuPone successfully achieves that in her classic 2008 performance of Gypsy's Act I closer.

Although “Everything’s Coming Up Roses” may appear uplifting and hopeful, the context of the show makes it more threatening: a woman's denial spasm determined not to let reality stand in her way. This smother-raw mother's rage takes center stage in LuPone's epic performance, sung with incredible power, as she tries to roar her helpless boyfriend, her trembling daughter, and the entire hostile world into the obedience her deep anger demands. Watch her rip that letter! This is one of Best Tony Awards Performances Of All Time.

Year: 2008

The Tony producers awarded Michael Bennett's backstage musical A Chorus Line both the first and last slots on the 1976 telecast because of the excitement it had sparked and the fact that it was generally anticipated to win Best Musical. The first was a parody of A Chorus Line's own famous opening number, “I Hope I Get It”, which depicts hopeful Broadway dancers being put through grueling exercises before going forward and vanishing behind headshots. This is one of Best Tony Awards Performances Of All Time.

The sequence is notable for the way it was photographed (apparently under Bennett's supervision), as it has a noticeably more cinematic sensibility than other performances from the time. The concept is sharp, and the deconstructed dance is quick and thrilling, but the sequence is also notable for the way it was photographed.

Year: 1976

The Broadway smash song "Turkey Lurkey Time" is one of the stupidest songs ever recorded, and it serves just as an excuse for a production piece set at an office Christmas party. What a number, though! The song, which features three office workers wishing their coworkers "a snowy, blowy Christmas/A mistletoe-y Christmas," is so unimportant that it allows choreographer Michael Bennett to focus solely on the theme of escalating enthusiasm in his dance.

One of the greatest show dancers of all time and Bennett's lifelong muse, Donna McKechnie, is in the heart of the celebration wearing a bright red dress while making head movements that redefine the word "rubbernecking." It's difficult to look away from her, but it's worth it to see how Bennett incorporates the rest of the chorus and builds the song to a magnificently frantic conclusion to match the pounding brass and drums of Burt Bacharach's music (at least on a second or third viewing).

Year: 1969

The Lion King is a 1994 American animated musical drama film that Walt Disney Pictures and Walt Disney Feature Animation together produced. It is the fifth animated movie created during the so-called Disney Renaissance and the 32nd overall feature-length Disney animated film. Additionally, this movie had a lasting impression during the 1998 Best Tony Awards, which is "Circle of Life". This is one of Best Tony Awards Performances Of All Time.

It is immediately apparent that Julie Taymor's creative reworking of Disney's animated film is not a trip to a theme park but rather an exploration across stunning new landscape from the opening blare of Lesotho-born singer Tsidii Le Loka's throbbing Zulu call. A magnificent menagerie of puppet animals, including flocks of birds, herds of antelopes, jungle cats, giraffes, an elephant, and a rhino, lumber up the aisles of Radio City Music Hall as the music changes into Elton John's well-known song from the soundtrack. With African pride and clever theatricality, "Circle of Life" communicated to everybody watching that this was not your children's Lion King while preserving the fundamental songs and plot of the original work.

Year: 1998

Cole Porter wrote the lyrics and music for the musical Anything Goes. Guy Bolton and P. G. Wodehouse collaborated on the original book, which Howard Lindsay and Russell Crouse significantly rewrote. The plot centers on the outrageous activities taking place on a cruise ship traveling from New York to London. The heiress Hope Harcourt, who is engaged to Lord Evelyn Oakleigh, and stowaway Billy Crocker are in love. Billy receives assistance in his efforts to woo Hope from nightclub singer Reno Sweeney and Public Enemy Number 13, "Moonface" Martin.

Patti LuPone turns and offers the audience a lingering wink just before she clears the decks to make room for a cool nautical tap-dance performance in "Anything Goes" at the Tony Awards. This is both a come-on and a lighthearted signal that the event is all in good fun. Cole Porter's sprightly lark was refurbished for its return to Broadway after fifty years, and Michael Smuin's dances flawlessly convey the vintage vibe—especially in the title track, performed by crewmen in white and women in barely anything. With a voice that could tremble any ship's timbers and a lustiness that screams, "Hey, sailor!" LuPone, who is arguably the last of the great Broadway broads, anchors the song.

Year: 1988

Victor Hugo's 1862 novel of the same name was adapted into the musical Les Misérables, also known as Les Mis or Les Miz, by Claude-Michel Schönberg (music), Alain Boublil, Jean-Marc Natel (original French lyrics), and Herbert Kretzmer (English lyrics). Robert Hossein served as the director for the 1980 Paris premiere of the original French musical. After The Fantasticks' original Off-Broadway run, its English-language remake, created by producer Cameron Mackintosh, has been performing in London since October 1985, making it the longest-running musical in the West End.

Les Miz, a French pop opera that had been adapted and enlarged into a London smash, swept spectators into a story of love, greed, revolution, and redemption in 1987. The ensemble made a powerful impact with just a few back-and-forth steps and a waving red flag during its exuberant Tony performance of "One Day More," the Act I conclusion that introduced the show's main characters and musical elements, with close-ups and clever sound mixing to help sort things out. Broadway had been officially taken over by the British. This is one of Best Tony Awards Performances Of All Time.

Year: 1987

Jule Styne composed the music for the musical Gypsy: A Musical Fable, while Stephen Sondheim wrote the lyrics and Arthur Laurents wrote the book. It features Gypsy Rose Lee's mother, Rose, who is known as "the ultimate show business mother," and is partially based on Gypsy Rose Lee's 1957 autobiography. It depicts the struggles of working in show business while also following Rose's hopes and endeavors to raise her two daughters as performers. Lee is the inspiration for Louise, while Lee's sister, actress June Havoc, is the inspiration for June.

Gypsy sang a song called "Rose's Turn" during the Tony Awards, giving a particularly spectacular performance. In Sam Mendes' s shady 2003 revival of Gypsy, Mama Rose—the King Lear of musical-theater roles—received a lot of criticism for vocal issues and missing performances near the beginning of her run. The show's 11 o'clock number, "Rose's Turn," a musical breakdown that transforms her from defiant, sexy stride to smoldering hurt, full-throttle wrath, and finally self-embrace, is when she truly shines in her deeply devoted Tony performance.

Year: 2003

This 1991 extravaganza's lavish Ziegfeld-revue style allowed its producers to fully combine cowboy kitsch and Broadway glamor. The show's high point, which was choreographed by Tommy Tune and Jeff Calhoun, features Keith Carradine in the middle of a row of gorgeous women who are cleverly dressed in red, white, and blue and have powder-puff bosoms and tambourine hats. This explosion of precision dancing is worthy of the Rockettes, and it is made even more impressive by the fact that the chorus is seated the entire time.

In that year, “Will-a-Mania”/“Favorite Son” received 11 Tony Award nominations. It received six awards, including Best Musical. Additionally, it received two Drama Desk awards for outstanding music and choreography. Later, The Will Rogers Follies began a number of national tours. This musical hasn't recently been performed by any revivals or other companies around the world. This is one of Best Tony Awards Performances Of All Time.

Year: 1991

The cat-themed cabaret by Andrew Lloyd Webber, which featured a chorus in yak fur and Kiss-like makeup, was so well-known when it first debuted that it is now difficult to remember how bizarre it was. The show was a loose musical interpretation of light verse by T.S. Eliot with little to no plot.

The show's opening number, which perfectly captures the variety-show vibe of the performance and Gillian Lynne's slinky choreography, as well as its breakout song, "Memory," were combined for the Tony Awards. Betty Buckley performed "Memory" with wounded, searing delusional intensity, at the height of her formidable powers. The background is a massive pile of trash, with furry costumes and heavy makeup. alternatively, the formula for one of the most enduring Broadway musicals. Her rendition of "Memory" and "Jellicle Songs for Jellicle Cats" at the 1983 Tony Awards featured sensual choreography by Gillian Lynne, making it a performance to remember.

Year: 1983

A drama, a comedy, a character study, a spectacle, a lesson, a romance, a war story, and a historiographical critique, Hamilton is truly everything. No single song can capture such breadth, but this medley from the hip-hop part of the score—possibly chosen because the ensemble had previously played Hamilton's opening number on the 2016 Grammys—captures the electric energy and historic significance of the production in a thrilling way - by "History Has Its Eyes on You"/"Yorktown". This is one of Best Tony Awards Performances Of All Time. Barack and Michelle Obama don't introduce every Tony nominee. Broadway is being vigorously propelled into current relevance by Lin-Manuel Miranda, who performs his own material center stage.

Before the cast's performance, President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama sent a video message in which they praised the musical as "a civics lesson our youngsters can't get enough of." Common, a rapper and actor, was present to welcome the cast to the stage. A record-breaking 16 Tony nominations were given to Hamilton, including ones for best musical, lead actor and actress in a musical, and original score.

Year: 2016

At the end of the season, Melba Moore won a Tony Award for Featured Actress in a Musical, and Cleavon Little won a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical for playing the show's lead role. Melba Moore's full-throated, no-holds-barred performance of "I Got Love" stopped the show (and even the cast album).

Purlie, an adaptation of Ossie Davis' drama Purlie Victorious, tells the story of a traveling preacher who goes back to his hometown to salvage the local church. His search is supported by Lutibelle (Moore). The production, which included a score by Peter Udell and Gary Geld, was directed by Philip Rose and choreographed by Louis Johnson. It received five Tony Award nominations, including Best Musical. At three theaters, the show eventually had 688 performances. There was a cast. C. David Colson, John Heffernan, Sherman Hemsley, Linda Hopkins, Helen Martin, and Novella Nelson were among the cast members.

A 1972 revival only ran for 14 performances; Encores! featured the 2005 season with Blair Underwood and Anika Noni Rose as the leads. Moore reprised her role in a 1981 Showtime production alongside Hemsley and Hopkins, who were also in the original Broadway cast, along with Purlie, Cotchipee, Idilla, and Charlie played by Robert Guillame, Brandon Maggart, Clarice Taylor, and Don Scardino.

Year: 1970

Marsha Norman wrote the book for the musical The Color Purple, and Brenda Russell, Allee Willis, and Stephen Bray contributed the music and lyrics. The television series, which is based on Alice Walker's 1982 novel of the same name and its 1985 film adaptation, chronicles the journey of Celie, an African-American woman who lived in the American South in the early to mid-20th century.

This medley from John Doyle's Broadway revival of The Color Purple is energetic but clumsy, notably in a scene introduced to highlight Heather Headley. Danielle Brooks and the cast perform the upbeat "Mysterious Ways" throughout the first half (who had recently joined the production). But as Cynthia Erivo takes the stage and sings a beautiful rendition of the show's eleven o'clock song, "I'm Here," everything is forgotten. She delivers a rendition of captivating self-possession and vocal prowess even without the luxury of the song's quiet opening section, which helps to build tension. This is one of Best Tony Awards Performances Of All Time.

Year: 2016

In this moving excerpt from Tony Shalhoub's exquisite 2018 film The Band's Visit, Katrina Lenk portrays an Israeli woman who forms a shaky friendship with the Egyptian musician who is in town. She hardly gets up from her seat during this intense conversation, and he doesn't sing at all. Nevertheless, it is hypnotic in every manner, from Lenk's longing vocals and swaying arms to the way the rest of the once-drab café, lit in blue, becomes immersed into the song in the song's last moments before softly ebbing away again. The world seems to swoon as the camera glides in to capture these moments.

The Band's Visit and "Omar Sharif" was the clear musical triumph. Three of the four acting awards went to it: lead actor Tony Shalhoub, lead actress Katrina Lenk, and featured actor Ari'el Stachel, who discussed what it meant to him as a Middle Eastern actor to be portraying a Middle Eastern character. It won best musical and took home three of the four acting honors. One of only four Broadway productions in history, The Band's Visit won the "Big Six" unofficial Tony Awards: Best Musical, Best Book, Best Score, Best Actor in a Musical, Best Actress in a Musical, and Best Direction of a Musical. It received the Best Musical Theater Album Grammy Award for 2019.

Year: 2018