Great Tony Awards Performances

[Timon3]

Posted: 1/22/26 at 8:27pm

So what are the great Tony awards performances? I want to look them up on You Tube.

Updated On: 1/22/26 at 08:27 PM

[uncageg]

Posted: 1/22/26 at 8:55pm

Jennifer Holiday - And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going"

One of my top favorites.

Updated On: 1/22/26 at 08:55 PM

[Voter]

Posted: 1/22/26 at 9:15pm

God, how much time do you have? just some of my favorites

- Jennifer Holliday in Dreamgirls is the pinnacle

- they're not from a musical but NPH has some of my favorite Tony performances ever as host. specifically Not Just For Gays Anymore, and Kiss L.A. Goodbye

- Ragtime

- Baby 

- Hedwig

- Dirty Rotten Scoundrels

- A Christmas Story (super underrated performance)

- Evita (1980)

- La Cage (1984)

[TheOtherOne2]

Posted: 1/22/26 at 9:15pm

Grand Hotel, We'll Take A Glass Together.

Anything Goes title song, performed by Patti LuPone and cast.

The original cast of Les Miserables, One Day More.

Angela Lansbury and Beatrice Arthur, reuniting for Bosom Buddies from Mame.

Dick Latessa and especially Judy Kuhn with the title song from Rags.

Leslie Uggams, Lillian Hayman and Robert Hooks singing Smile, Smile from Hallelujah, Baby!

Spring Awakening's original cast performing a medley of Mama Who Bore Me, The Bitch of Living and Totally F*cked.

Updated On: 1/23/26 at 09:15 PM

[WldKingdomHM]

Posted: 1/22/26 at 10:24pm

Dreamgirls, Grand Hotel, Gypsy (patti), My One and Only

[Melissa25]

Posted: 1/22/26 at 10:44pm

Ring of Keys from Fun Home.

[binau]

Posted: 1/23/26 at 3:21am

Gypsy (Bernadette). The vulnerability in ‘wellll someone tell me when is it my turn’ is unmatched. 
 

Gypsy (Patti). Feels like a thrilling come back to everyone that told Patti no, including Sam Mendes who was meant to direct Patti in Gypsy before Arthur Laurents stopped it and asked for Bernadette. 

Updated On: 1/23/26 at 03:21 AM

[Dreamboy3]

Posted: 1/23/26 at 6:51am

from Michel Bennett:

Promises Promises (Turkey Lurkey)

A Chorus Line 

Dreamgirls

 

From Tommy Tune:

Grand Hotel and Will Roger’s Follies
 

Others that I don’t think have been mentioned: Applause, Woman of the Year, Pippin 

[Merkin2]

Posted: 1/23/26 at 6:53am

Anything goes- Sutton foster 

thoroughly modern Millie

[ggersten]

Posted: 1/23/26 at 9:21am

Besides Dreamgirls, Grand Hotel and the two Anything Goes, I’d add Contact (but I think it is off YouTube), Big Deal, Catch Me If You Can, The Wedding Singer, The Apple Tree and Applause.

[Voter]

Posted: 1/23/26 at 11:20am

Can't believe I forgot Applause. Throw a vote in for that from me too

[WindyNewYorker]

Posted: 1/23/26 at 11:26am

A Gentleman’s guide to love and murder!

[SeanD2]

Posted: 1/23/26 at 11:27am

Melissa25 said: "Ring of Keys from Fun Home."

I'm so glad they abandoned the original concept for the Fun Home Tony performance. At the invited dress that morning they attempted to recreate the in the round experience of Circle in the Square by using the giant LED wall to mirror the audience instead of just having Sydney Lucas turn around and put her back to the audience. I get what they were going for, but it just didn't work during the dress rehearsal

[jakethesnake]

Posted: 1/23/26 at 11:37am

Anyone who doesn't say Grand Hotel is wrong.  Ha!   Also, The Life and the original production of Ragtime are two of my other favorites.  

[MidWestTheater]

Posted: 1/23/26 at 11:40am

-The Bands Visit

- Any of the Gypsy revival numbers (Bernadette, Patti, Audra)

-Book of Mormon

-Man of LaMancha (Brian Stokes Mitchell)

-How To Succeed (90's revival - just to see the great Lilas White tear it up)

-Guys and Dolls (90's reival - Walter Bobbie's kills "Sit Down Your Rocking the Boat)

There are so many, but I much prefer the shows that just highlight one number then to do a medley.

 

[Lisalemann]

Posted: 1/23/26 at 4:11pm

Many of my favorites have already been mentioned - but I would add the Hair revival of 2009 - I immediately purchased tickets to it after just watching them in the opening number.

And The Boy from Oz was fantastic - Hugh in his gold lame pants and a mortified Sarah Jessica Parker was the best :)

[fosterfan2]

Posted: 1/23/26 at 6:40pm

Omar Sharif--Katrina Lenk (The Band's Visit)

Grand Hotel

[ggersten]

Posted: 1/23/26 at 8:16pm

There will also be a small place in my heart for the Starmites Tony performance (never seen the show)

 

 

Updated On: 1/23/26 at 08:16 PM

[Falsettolands]

Posted: 1/23/26 at 10:17pm

Baby pretty much takes the cake for me.

[George in DC]

Posted: 1/23/26 at 11:05pm

"Grand Hotel".

 

Watching this also makes me sad. It should have been David Carroll performing the number with Michael Jeter.

By the time David died in 1992 I had lost over 100 friends and acquaintances to AIDS and I thought I was immune to pain. Davids death shattered me. I still miss him.

[TheOtherOne2]

Posted: 1/24/26 at 7:59am

George in DC said: ""Grand Hotel".



Watching this also makes me sad. It should have been David Carroll performing the number with Michael Jeter.

By the time David died in 1992 I had lost over 100 friends and acquaintances to AIDS and I thought I was immune to pain. Davids death shattered me. I still miss him."

He was glorious as the Baron.  I will be forever grateful to have seen him right around this time. Here he is with Michael Jeter and company at the 1989 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YTbWru3i8o4&list=RDYTbWru3i8o4&start_radio=1

 

Updated On: 1/24/26 at 07:59 AM

[KKeller6]

Posted: 1/26/26 at 8:04am

In 1999, Peter Pan was having a limited run until September at the Gershwin. It was going to close early, with the notice going up the Tuesday after the Tony Awards.  Cathy Rigby flew right at the camera out in the house that night and the line the next morning for tickets was out the door.  We made the full run. Which again, begets the question, what are these people afraid of? You don't have to put a commercial on the super bowl.  But a few well timed ads might actually make people aware you are even there. Oh, and there was actually a set for Peter Pan. Crazy. A real, full, bedroom set.  

[Wick3]

Posted: 1/26/26 at 8:18am

I prefer Tony Awards performances that have a little audience participation to it like Hugh Jackman's performance from BOY FROM OZ back in 2004 (see below) and also Neil Patrick Harris's performance from HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH. To this day I'm still in awe with what NPH did onstage every night at the Belasco 11-12 years ago. I doubt those stuff would be done today (especially kissing lips to lips with a random audience member.)

 

[Call_me_jorge]

Posted: 1/26/26 at 9:07am

I’m pretty partial to the Bright Star Tony Awards performance. I, particularly, love the camera choreography when the Steadicam pans around Carmen Cusack.

[Kad]

Posted: 1/26/26 at 10:10am

Surprised nobody has mentioned the original 42nd Street doing “Lullaby of Broadway,” an absolute joybomb of classic musical comedy heaven.