Beth Leavel - The Prom Glenn Close - Sunset Boulevard SJB - Falsettos Bette Midler - Hello, Dolly Annette Benning - All My Sons Gideon Glick - Significant Other Kristin Chenoweth - On the Twentieth Century Brooks Ashmanskas - The Prom Helen Mirren - The Audience Sally Field - The Glass Menagerie
Amber Gray, Hadestown Lena Hall, Hedwig and the Angry Inch Leslie Odom Jr, Hamilton Laurie Metcalf, Hillary and Clinton Andy Karl, Groundhog Day Andrew Garfield, Angels in America Bonnie Milligan, Head Over Heels Danny Burstein, Fiddler on the Roof Bette Midler, Hello Dolly James Monroe Iglehart, Aladdin
Andrew Garfield - Angels in America Glenda Jackson - Three Tall Women Elaine May - The Waverly Gallery Laurie Metcalf - A Dolls House, Part 2 Cynthia Erivo - The Color Purple Bryan Cranston - Network Bette Midler - Hello Dolly! Audra McDonald - Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill Damon Daunno - Oklahoma! Glenn Close - Sunset Bouvelard
Honorable Mentions: Frank Langella - The Father Patrick Page - Hadestown Amber Gray - Hadestown Ali Stroker - Oklahoma! Lauren Ambrose - My Fair Lady Cynthia Nixon - The Little Foxes Lupita Nyong'o - Eclipsed Jeremy Pope - Choir Boy Heidi Schreck - What the Constitution Means to Me Ben Platt - Dear Evan Hansen
Also, some Off-Broadway stunners I must mention:
Billy Crudup - Harry Clarke Billie Piper - Yerma Daniel Craig - Othello David Oyelowo - Othello Laurenz Laufenberg - History of Violence Raymond Lee - Vietgone MaYaa Boateng - Fairview Larry Owens - A Strange Loop Phoebe Waller-Bridge - Fleabag Ian Duff - Dutch Masters
#1-Ben Platt, Dear Evan Hansen #2-Jake Gyllenhaal, Sunday in the Park With George #3-Elaine May, The Waverly Gallery #4-Alex Sharp, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time #5-Kelli O’Hara, The King and I #6-Glenda Jackson, Three Tall Women #7-Steven Skybell, Fiddler on the Roof in Yiddish #8-Jeff Daniels, To Kill a Mockingbird #9-David Hyde Pierce, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike #10-Danny Burstein, Fiddler on the Roof
Honorable Mentions:
Michael Cerveris, Fun Home Bradley Cooper, The Elephant Man Bryan Cranston, Network Adam Driver, Burn This Jake Gyllenhaal, Sea Wall/A Life Harry Hadden-Paton, My Fair Lady Denzel Washington, The Iceman Cometh
Duos:
Alan Cumming + Emma Stone, Cabaret Michelle Williams + Jeff Daniels, Blackbird Bette/Donna + DHP, Hello Dolly Andrew Garfield + Nathan Lane, Angels in America
Ensemble:
A Raisin in the Sun (2014) Hamilton OBC Sweeney Todd (2017 Barrow Street)
In the order of when I saw them, not by favorites:
Oona Laurence - Matilda Andrea Martin - Pippin James Monroe Iglehart - Aladdin Jessie Mueller - Beautiful Christian Borle - Something Rotten Renee Elise Goldsberry - Hamilton (did not see the full original cast) Andy Karl - Groundhog Day Ben Platt - Dear Evan Hansen Jenn Colella - Come From Away Amber Gray - Hadestown
I'm taking the original cast of "Hamilton" as if it were the free square on a BINGO card. I mean, Daveed Diggs has proven to be the irreplaceble Donna McKechnie of the show. Plus the father of my country matters, Christopher Jackson. Plus Lin, plus Renée, plus Betsey Struxness. I just think that has to be a gimme.
Moving on:
Carrie Fisher ‘Wishful Drinking” Nancy E. Carrol “Present Laughter”
Ellen Barkin “The Normal Heart”
Laurie Metcalf “The Other Place”
Cherry Jones “The Glass Menagerie”
Lena Hall “Hedwig & The Angry Inch”
Beth Malone “Fun Home”
Brittain Ashford “Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812”
Katrina Link “Indecent”
Mark Rylance “Twelfth Night, or What You Will”
Honorable Mention: Michael Cerveris “Hurt Locker; The Musical”
Not on Broadway, but the performance of the decade was Billie Piper in YERMA at Park Avenue Armory. Only the work of Laurie Metcalf and Audra McDonald in multiple productions even comes close to half the thrill of Piper’s performance.
Audra McDonald (Lady Day at the Emerson’s Bar and Grill) - this is one of the few moments in my theater going experience where I was at awe from beginning to end. She is truly one of the greatest broadway actresses of all time. Like Jessie with Carole King, whom i will mention a little bit later, she didn’t just play the character - she became that character. A truly mesmerizing performance.
Jake Gyllenhaal (Sunday in the Park With George) - I was lucky enough to get tickets 5 rows from the stage and at house left directly in front where Jake was most of the time and I can clearly see his eyes very vividly express the character’s inner turmoil and restraint. I was skeptical at first (when they announced him as George at City Center) but boy he proved himself worthy to take on (and sing!) such an iconic role. I was very fortunate to see him on both productions and thank God for OBC I can relive those memories over and over again.
Billy Porter (Kinky Boots) - Billy has been slaying the stage way before Pose and this Tony winning performance only proves how great an actor he really is.
Jessie Muller (Beautiful and Waitress)
John Cameron Mitchell (Hedwig and the Angry Inch)
Denise Gough (Angels in America)
Helen Mirren (The Audience) - yes she has played a Queen so many times but here she played Queen Elizabeth II in different stages in her life and she really captured the innocence of a young queen to a confident queen in her middle age to a more mature and quite exasperated queen late into her golden years. That was truly a masterclass in acting.
Judy Kuhn (Fun Home) - the most heartbreaking performance.
Michael Cerveris (Fun Home)
Christian Borle (Falsettos)
OFF BROADWAY SPECIAL MENTION
Even though they played off broadway these performances can rival that of any Tony award winner last decade:
Best performance, for me, was not on Bway...Billie Piper (Yerma) was rivaled only by Audra McDonald.
My Broadway choices would include...
Audra McDonald...Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill
Mark Rylance...Twelfth Night
Alex Sharpe...Curious Incident of the Dog on the Night Time
Marin Mazzie....Next To Normal
Adrienne Warren...Tina:The Tina Turner Musical
Katrina Lenk...The Band’s Visit
Glenda Jackson...Three Tall Women
Ellen Barkin...The Normal Heart
Elaine May...The Waverly Gallery
Frank Langella...The Father
Honorable Mention:
Amber Gray...Great Comet Laurie Metcalf....The Other Place Brittain Ashford...Great Comet Tony Shaloub...The Band’s Visit Mary Louise Parker...Heisenberg
Specifically Broadway? Listed alphabetical. Laura Donnelly - The Ferryman Tom Glynn-Carney - The Ferryman Andrew Garfield - Angels in America Denise Gough - Angels in America Jake Gyllenhaal - Sea Wall/A Life Ethan Hawke - True West Celia Keenan-Bolger - The Glass Menagerie Katrina Lenk - Indecent Sydney Lucas - Fun Home Jeremy Pope - Choir Boy
Honorable Mentions: Steven Boyer - Hand to God Chris Evans - Lobby Hero Amber Gray - Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812 Beth Malone - Fun Home Ethan Slater - The Spongebob Musical
Elaine May, THE WAVERLY GALLERY (2018)-- This gets the #1 spot because it might be the greatest performance I've ever seen an actor give onstage. The rest will be by year.
Jan Maxwell, FOLLIES (2011)
Danny Burstein, FOLLIES (2011)
Linda Lavin, THE LYONS (2012)
Tracy Letts, WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF? (2012)
Nathan Lane, THE NANCE (2013)
Michael Cerveris, FUN HOME (2015)
Chita Rivera, THE VISIT (2015)
Harry Hadden Paton, MY FAIR LADY (2018)
Adam Driver, BURN THIS (2019)
I'd also like to mention the entire company of the 2016 revival of FALSETTOS, which was one of the most wonderful, cathartic and memorable evenings I've ever had in the theatre-- especially after the election.
Mary-Louise Parker AND Will Hochman, The Sound Inside (they have such a great rapport, I can't separate them)
Ben Platt, Dear Evan Hansen
Mark Rylance, Jerusalem
Taylor Trensch, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (although I wish I could have seen Alex Sharp's performance to compare--this performance knocked my socks off)
Honorable Mention: Alex Brightman, Beetlejuice and Ethan Slater, The Spongebob Musical: two wildly inventive comical performances. Comedy this broad is hard to sustain and these two tackled their roles with masterful finesse.
Bernadette Hello, Dolly! Bernadette A Little Night Music Bernadette Follies Kelli O’Hara in Bridges Marin Mazzie in next to normal Ben Platt in DEH Patti LuPone in War Paint Christine Ebersole in War Paint Katrina Lenk in The Band’s Visit
And if I can cheat a little, Patti LuPone in Company.
"You can't overrate Bernadette Peters. She is such a genius. There's a moment in "Too Many Mornings" and Bernadette doing 'I wore green the last time' - It's a voice that is just already given up - it is so sorrowful. Tragic. You can see from that moment the show is going to be headed into such dark territory and it hinges on this tiny throwaway moment of the voice." - Ben Brantley (2022)
"Bernadette's whole, stunning performance [as Rose in Gypsy] galvanized the actors capable of letting loose with her. Bernadette's Rose did take its rightful place, but too late, and unseen by too many who should have seen it" Arthur Laurents (2009)
"Sondheim's own favorite star performances? [Bernadette] Peters in ''Sunday in the Park,'' Lansbury in ''Sweeney Todd'' and ''obviously, Ethel was thrilling in 'Gypsy.'' Nytimes, 2000
Ben Platt - DEH Leslie Odom Jr - Hamilton Daveed Diggs - Hamilton Renée Elise Goldsberry - Hamilton Lucas Steele - Great Comet David Byrne plus entire band - American Utopia Mary-Louise Parker - The Sound Inside Amber Gray - Hadestown Bruce Springsteen- Springsteen on Broadway Katrina Lenk - The Band’s Visit
1. Amber Gray - Hadestown. 2. Patrick Page - Hadestown. 3. André De Shields - Hadestown. 4. Alex Sharp - Curious Incident. 5. Jessica Vosk - Wicked. 6. Damon Daunno - Oklahoma! 7. Beth Leavel - The Prom. I know it didn't transfer to Broadway (forever bitter) but Michael Arden and Patrick Page in Hunchback are my 8 & 9. 10. The entire cast of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Year 2.