Tony Award for Best Musical facts for kids

The Tony Award for Best Musical is a really special prize. It's given out every year to the best new musical show that opens on Broadway. Broadway is a famous theater district in New York City.

This award is one of the oldest and most important at the Tony Awards ceremony. It has been given out every year since 1949. The award goes to the people who produce the winning musical. To be considered for this award, a musical must be brand new to Broadway. It can't be an old show that's been brought back. If an old show comes back, it might be considered for the Best Revival of a Musical award instead.

The Best Musical award is usually the very last award given out at the Tony Awards show. Before it's announced, you often get to see parts of the musicals that are nominated. It's a big moment for Broadway!

What is the Tony Award for Best Musical?

The Tony Awards celebrate the best of Broadway theater. The Best Musical award honors a new musical that stands out above the rest. It recognizes the hard work and creativity of everyone involved. This includes the writers, composers, and the producers who bring the show to life.

How are Musicals Chosen?

A group of special voters decides which musical wins. These voters are experts in theater. They watch all the new musicals that open on Broadway during the year. Then, they vote for the one they think is the very best.

Notable Winners and Nominees

Over the years, many amazing musicals have won the Tony Award for Best Musical. Some have even won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, which is a very high honor for plays and musicals. Here are a few famous winners from different decades.

     indicates the winner†indicates the winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Drama *indicates a finalist of the Pulitzer Prize for Drama

Early Winners (1940s-1950s)

Mid-Century Hits (1960s-1970s)

Modern Classics (1980s-1990s)

21st Century Winners (2000s-Present)

Interesting Facts and Records

The Tony Award for Best Musical has a rich history with some cool facts:

• The Producers holds the record for winning the most Tony Awards overall. It won 12 awards, including Best Musical!
• Hamilton is the musical with the most Tony nominations ever, with 16 nominations.
• In 1960, The Sound of Music and Fiorello! actually tied for the Best Musical award. This is the only time this has happened!
• Passion is the shortest-running winner, with 280 performances.
• The Phantom of the Opera is the longest-running Best Musical winner. It had over 13,981 performances!
• Hallelujah, Baby! is the only show that won Best Musical after it had already finished its run on Broadway.
• Kiss Me, Kate and Titanic are the only two shows to win Best Musical without any actors from their cast being nominated for a Tony Award.
• The Richard Rodgers Theatre on Broadway has been home to more Best Musical winners than any other theater. Some winners include Guys and Dolls (1951) and Hamilton (2016).
• The Mystery of Edwin Drood was the first Best Musical winner written entirely by one person, Rupert Holmes. Later, Rent (by Jonathan Larson), Hamilton (by Lin-Manuel Miranda), and A Strange Loop (by Michael R. Jackson) also achieved this.
• Hadestown is special because it's the first musical entirely written by one woman, Anaïs Mitchell, to win this award.
• Fun Home was the first musical written entirely by a team of women to win the Tony Award for Best Musical.
• The 74th Tony Awards in 2020 was the first time that only "jukebox musicals" were nominated. These are musicals that use popular songs that already exist, instead of writing all new music.

See also

In Spanish: Anexo:Premio Tony al mejor musical para niños