Best Actress in a Musical Tony winners of the past decade

I had noticed this a few weeks ago, when perusing a list of the Tony winners for Best Actress in a Musical. my friend and I were discussing how the roles that are rewarded for women involve belting and crying. there have definitely been comedic roles actresses have won the Tony for (Sutton in Millie, anyone?), but I think in this list...it's Victoria Clark who sticks out like a sore thumb in a sea of belters. (and, I suppose, one could argue Marissa Jaret Winokur, since she beat an actress playing a legendary role that runs the emotional gamut.)

(I'm not trying to make a huge statement about this. it was just interesting to me)

2000: Heather Headley - Aida
2001: Christine Ebersole - 42nd Street
2002: Sutton Foster - Thoroughly Modern Millie
2003: Marissa Jaret Winokur - Hairspray
2004: Idina Menzel - Wicked
2005: Victoria Clark - The Light in the Piazza
2006: LaChanze - The Color Purple
2007: Christine Ebersole - Grey Gardens
2008: Patti LuPone - Gypsy
2009: Alice Ripley - Next to Normal

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I was going to say that Ebersole didn't belt in Grey Gardens...but you also mentioned crying and she did do that.

She sings soprano ballads, but I guess you could call some of the comedic songs "STAUNCH!!!!!" Belting...but more like shouting.

I was gonna say that if anyone sticks out like a sore thumb on that list is Idina Menzel (and Marissa Jaret Winokur, who really didn't seem to be able to do much on stage after HAIRSPRAY), who very undeservedly won her award over the brilliant work of Tonya Pinkins in CAROLINE, OR CHANGE. And really, if they didn't want to award Pinkins, then it was Donna Murphy's award to lose. Oh well...

Otherwise, it's a very nice list. Good for Christine Ebersole for being the only double-winner in the decade. Looking forward to see who is the winner in 2010.

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I know I'm in a very small minority, but for whatever it's worth, out of those performances (of which I saw, so not laChanze or Headley) Idina Menzel's and Marissa Jaret Winokur's were my favorite ones (with the possible exception of Patti's).

In the past few years, it's one of the only categories I think they've shown real sense with.