I totally agree with the posters who said that there was theatre before Les Mis. Now I love Wicked (*ducks the tomatoes thrown at me*), Hairspray and modern shows as much as anymore, but there are tons of amazing shows that were written more than 20 years ago, and if you love musicals, you really should check them out. You can't appreciate where things have gotten to without knowing where they came from.
That said, here are my votes:)
Best Villian in a Musical(of all time)- Jud Fry, OKLAHOMA
Best Comedy Actress in a Musical(of all time)- Ethel Merman. DUH! Bernadette is wonderful, too.
Best Comedy Actor in a Musical(of all time)- Zero Mostel, in anything he ever chose to do! But I'll cite FIDDLER, since I feel I need to choose something.
Best Duet(of all time)- If I loved you, CAROUSEL
Best Female solo number(of all time)- "Don't rain on my parade" from FUNNY GIRL
Best Male solo number(of all time)- "On the street where you live," from MY FAIR LADY
Best Ensemble number(of all time)- I've always been partial to "Brotherhood of Man" from HOW TO SUCCEED
Just my thoughts.:) Peace and Love, kids. Especially on this election night.
There's always room for pathos - and jazz hands.