# Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical

The Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical has been given since 1960. Before 1960 there was only one award for both play direction and musical direction, then in 1960 the award was split into two categories: Dramatic and Musical.

## Winners and nominees
### 1950s

| Year | Production | Director |
| 1950 |
| 1950 | South Pacific | Joshua Logan |
| 1951 |
| 1951 | Guys and Dolls | George S. Kaufman |
| 1958 |
| 1958 | My Fair Lady | Moss Hart |

### 1960s

| Year | Production | Director |
| 1960 (14th) |
| 1960 (14th) | Fiorello! | George Abbott |
| 1960 (14th) | Destry Rides Again | Michael Kidd |
| 1960 (14th) | Gypsy | Jerome Robbins |
| 1960 (14th) | The Sound of Music | Vincent J. Donehue |
| 1960 (14th) | Take Me Along | Peter Glenville |
| 1961 (15th) |
| 1961 (15th) | Bye Bye Birdie | Gower Champion |
| 1961 (15th) | Do Re Mi | Garson Kanin |
| 1961 (15th) | Irma La Douce | Peter Brook |
| 1962 (16th) |
| 1962 (16th) | How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying | Abe Burrows |
| 1962 (16th) | All American | Joshua Logan |
| 1962 (16th) | Carnival! | Gower Champion |
| 1962 (16th) | No Strings | Joe Layton |
| 1963 (17th) |
| 1963 (17th) | A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum | George Abbott |
| 1963 (17th) | Brigadoon | John Fearnley |
| 1963 (17th) | Little Me | Cy Feuer and Bob Fosse |
| 1963 (17th) | Oliver! | Peter Coe |
| 1964 (18th) |
| 1964 (18th) | Hello, Dolly! | Gower Champion |
| 1964 (18th) | 110 in the Shade | Joseph Anthony |
| 1964 (18th) | High Spirits | Noël Coward |
| 1964 (18th) | She Loves Me | Harold Prince |
| 1965 (19th) |
| 1965 (19th) | Fiddler on the Roof | Jerome Robbins |
| 1965 (19th) | Half a Sixpence | Gene Saks |
| 1965 (19th) | Oh, What a Lovely War! | Joan Littlewood |
| 1965 (19th) | The Roar of the Greasepaint – The Smell of the Crowd | Anthony Newley |
| 1966 (20th) |
| 1966 (20th) | Man of La Mancha | Albert Marre |
| 1966 (20th) | Mame | Gene Saks |
| 1966 (20th) | Skyscraper | Cy Feuer |
| 1966 (20th) | Sweet Charity | Bob Fosse |
| 1967 (21st) |
| 1967 (21st) | Cabaret | Harold Prince |
| 1967 (21st) | Annie Get Your Gun | Jack Sydow |
| 1967 (21st) | The Apple Tree | Mike Nichols |
| 1967 (21st) | I Do! I Do! | Gower Champion |
| 1968 (22nd) |
| 1968 (22nd) | The Happy Time | Gower Champion |
| 1968 (22nd) | Hallelujah, Baby! | Burt Shevelove |
| 1968 (22nd) | How Now, Dow Jones | George Abbott |
| 1968 (22nd) | Illya Darling | Jules Dassin |
| 1969 (23rd) |
| 1969 (23rd) | 1776 | Peter Hunt |
| 1969 (23rd) | Hair | Tom O'Horgan |
| 1969 (23rd) | Promises, Promises | Robert Moore |
| 1969 (23rd) | Zorba | Harold Prince |

### 1970s

| Year | Production | Director |
| 1970 (24th) |
| 1970 (24th) | Applause | Ron Field |
| 1970 (24th) | Coco | Michael Benthall |
| 1970 (24th) | Purlie | Philip Rose |
| 1971 (25th) |
| 1971 (25th) | Company | Harold Prince |
| 1971 (25th) | The Me Nobody Knows | Robert H. Livingston |
| 1971 (25th) | No, No, Nanette | Burt Shevelove |
| 1971 (25th) | The Rothschilds | Michael Kidd |
| 1972 (26th) |
| 1972 (26th) | Follies | Harold Prince and Michael Bennett |
| 1972 (26th) | Ain't Supposed to Die a Natural Death | Gilbert Moses |
| 1972 (26th) | A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum | Burt Shevelove |
| 1972 (26th) | Two Gentlemen of Verona | Mel Shapiro |
| 1973 (27th) |
| 1973 (27th) | Pippin | Bob Fosse |
| 1973 (27th) | Don't Bother Me, I Can't Cope | Vinnette Carroll |
| 1973 (27th) | A Little Night Music | Harold Prince |
| 1973 (27th) | Sugar | Gower Champion |
| 1974 (28th) |
| 1974 (28th) | Candide | Harold Prince |
| 1974 (28th) | Over Here! | Tom Moore |
| 1974 (28th) | Raisin | Donald McKayle |
| 1974 (28th) | Seesaw | Michael Bennett |
| 1975 (29th) |
| 1975 (29th) | The Wiz | Geoffrey Holder |
| 1975 (29th) | Gypsy | Arthur Laurents |
| 1975 (29th) | Mack & Mabel | Gower Champion |
| 1975 (29th) | The Magic Show | Grover Dale |
| 1976 (30th) |
| 1976 (30th) | A Chorus Line | Michael Bennett |
| 1976 (30th) | Chicago | Bob Fosse |
| 1976 (30th) | Pacific Overtures | Harold Prince |
| 1976 (30th) | Very Good Eddie | Bill Gile |
| 1977 (31st) |
| 1977 (31st) | I Love My Wife | Gene Saks |
| 1977 (31st) | Annie | Martin Charnin |
| 1977 (31st) | Porgy and Bess | Jack O'Brien |
| 1977 (31st) | Your Arms Too Short to Box with God | Vinnette Carroll |
| 1978 (32nd) |
| 1978 (32nd) | Ain't Misbehavin' | Richard Maltby Jr. |
| 1978 (32nd) | Dancin' | Bob Fosse |
| 1978 (32nd) | On the Twentieth Century | Harold Prince |
| 1978 (32nd) | Runaways | Elizabeth Swados |
| 1979 (33rd) |
| 1979 (33rd) | Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street | Harold Prince |
| 1979 (33rd) | Ballroom | Michael Bennett |
| 1979 (33rd) | The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas | Peter Masterson and Tommy Tune |
| 1979 (33rd) | They're Playing Our Song | Robert Moore |

### 1980s

| Year | Production | Director |
| 1980 (34th) |
| 1980 (34th) | Evita | Harold Prince |
| 1980 (34th) | Barnum | Joe Layton |
| 1980 (34th) | A Day in Hollywood / A Night in the Ukraine | Tommy Tune |
| 1980 (34th) | Sugar Babies | Ernie Flatt and Rudy Tronto |
| 1981 (35th) |
| 1981 (35th) | The Pirates of Penzance | Wilford Leach |
| 1981 (35th) | 42nd Street | Gower Champion |
| 1981 (35th) | Sophisticated Ladies | Michael Smuin |
| 1981 (35th) | Woman of the Year | Robert Moore |
| 1982 (36th) |
| 1982 (36th) | Nine | Tommy Tune |
| 1982 (36th) | Dreamgirls | Michael Bennett |
| 1982 (36th) | The First | Martin Charnin |
| 1982 (36th) | Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat | Tony Tanner |
| 1983 (37th) |
| 1983 (37th) | Cats | Trevor Nunn |
| 1983 (37th) | Merlin | Ivan Reitman |
| 1983 (37th) | My One and Only | Tommy Tune and Thommie Walsh |
| 1983 (37th) | Show Boat | Michael Kahn |
| 1984 (38th) |
| 1984 (38th) | La Cage aux Folles | Arthur Laurents |
| 1984 (38th) | Baby | Richard Maltby Jr. |
| 1984 (38th) | Sunday in the Park with George | James Lapine |
| 1984 (38th) | The Tap Dance Kid | Vivian Matalon |
| 1985 (39th) |
| 1985 (39th) | Big River | Des McAnuff |
| 1985 (39th) | Grind | Harold Prince |
| 1985 (39th) | The King and I | Mitch Leigh |
| 1985 (39th) | Quilters | Barbara Damashek |
| 1986 (40th) |
| 1986 (40th) | The Mystery of Edwin Drood | Wilford Leach |
| 1986 (40th) | Big Deal | Bob Fosse |
| 1986 (40th) | Song and Dance | Richard Maltby Jr. |
| 1986 (40th) | Tango Argentino | Héctor Orezzoli and Claudio Segovia |
| 1987 (41st) |
| 1987 (41st) | Les Misérables | John Caird and Trevor Nunn |
| 1987 (41st) | Me and My Girl | Mike Ockrent |
| 1987 (41st) | The Mikado | Brian Macdonald |
| 1987 (41st) | Starlight Express | Trevor Nunn |
| 1988 (42nd) |
| 1988 (42nd) | The Phantom of the Opera | Harold Prince |
| 1988 (42nd) | Anything Goes | Jerry Zaks |
| 1988 (42nd) | Into the Woods | James Lapine |
| 1988 (42nd) | Sarafina! | Mbongeni Ngema |
| 1989 (43rd) |
| 1989 (43rd) | Jerome Robbins' Broadway | Jerome Robbins |
| 1989 (43rd) | Black and Blue | Héctor Orezzoli and Claudio Segovia |
| 1989 (43rd) | Starmites | Larry Carpenter |
| 1989 (43rd) | Welcome to the Club | Peter Mark Schifter |

### 1990s

| Year | Production | Director |
| 1990 (44th) |
| 1990 (44th) | Grand Hotel | Tommy Tune |
| 1990 (44th) | Aspects of Love | Trevor Nunn |
| 1990 (44th) | City of Angels | Michael Blakemore |
| 1990 (44th) | Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street | Susan H. Schulman |
| 1991 (45th) |
| 1991 (45th) | The Will Rogers Follies | Tommy Tune |
| 1991 (45th) | Miss Saigon | Nicholas Hytner |
| 1991 (45th) | Once on This Island | Graciela Daniele |
| 1991 (45th) | Those Were the Days | Eleanor Reissa |
| 1992 (46th) |
| 1992 (46th) | Guys and Dolls | Jerry Zaks |
| 1992 (46th) | Crazy for You | Mike Ockrent |
| 1992 (46th) | Falsettos | James Lapine |
| 1992 (46th) | Jelly's Last Jam | George C. Wolfe |
| 1993 (47th) |
| 1993 (47th) | The Who's Tommy | Des McAnuff |
| 1993 (47th) | Blood Brothers | Bill Kenwright and Bob Tomson |
| 1993 (47th) | The Goodbye Girl | Michael Kidd |
| 1993 (47th) | Kiss of the Spider Woman | Harold Prince |
| 1994 (48th) |
| 1994 (48th) | Carousel | Nicholas Hytner |
| 1994 (48th) | Beauty and the Beast | Robert Jess Roth |
| 1994 (48th) | Passion | James Lapine |
| 1994 (48th) | She Loves Me | Scott Ellis |
| 1995 (49th) |
| 1995 (49th) | Show Boat | Harold Prince |
| 1995 (49th) | How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying | Des McAnuff |
| 1995 (49th) | Sunset Boulevard | Trevor Nunn |
| 1995 (49th) | Smokey Joe's Cafe | Jerry Zaks |
| 1996 (50th) |
| 1996 (50th) | Bring in 'da Noise, Bring in 'da Funk | George C. Wolfe |
| 1996 (50th) | A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum | Jerry Zaks |
| 1996 (50th) | The King and I | Christopher Renshaw |
| 1996 (50th) | Rent | Michael Greif |
| 1997 (51st) |
| 1997 (51st) | Chicago | Walter Bobbie |
| 1997 (51st) | Juan Darién | Julie Taymor |
| 1997 (51st) | The Life | Michael Blakemore |
| 1997 (51st) | Steel Pier | Scott Ellis |
| 1998 (52nd) |
| 1998 (52nd) | The Lion King | Julie Taymor |
| 1998 (52nd) | Cabaret | Rob Marshall and Sam Mendes |
| 1998 (52nd) | Ragtime | Frank Galati |
| 1998 (52nd) | 1776 | Scott Ellis |
| 1999 (53rd) |
| 1999 (53rd) | Swan Lake | Matthew Bourne |
| 1999 (53rd) | Fosse | Richard Maltby Jr. and Ann Reinking |
| 1999 (53rd) | Parade | Harold Prince |
| 1999 (53rd) | You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown | Michael Mayer |

### 2000s

| Year | Production | Director |
| 2000 (54th) |
| 2000 (54th) | Kiss Me, Kate | Michael Blakemore |
| 2000 (54th) | Contact | Susan Stroman |
| 2000 (54th) | The Music Man | Susan Stroman |
| 2000 (54th) | Swing! | Lynne Taylor-Corbett |
| 2001 (55th) |
| 2001 (55th) | The Producers | Susan Stroman |
| 2001 (55th) | 42nd Street | Mark Bramble |
| 2001 (55th) | The Full Monty | Jack O'Brien |
| 2001 (55th) | The Rocky Horror Show | Christopher Ashley |
| 2002 (56th) |
| 2002 (56th) | Urinetown | John Rando |
| 2002 (56th) | Into the Woods | James Lapine |
| 2002 (56th) | Oklahoma! | Trevor Nunn |
| 2002 (56th) | Thoroughly Modern Millie | Michael Mayer |
| 2003 (57th) |
| 2003 (57th) | Hairspray | Jack O'Brien |
| 2003 (57th) | La bohème | Baz Luhrmann |
| 2003 (57th) | Movin' Out | Twyla Tharp |
| 2003 (57th) | Nine | David Leveaux |
| 2004 (58th) |
| 2004 (58th) | Assassins | Joe Mantello |
| 2004 (58th) | Avenue Q | Jason Moore |
| 2004 (58th) | Caroline, or Change | George C. Wolfe |
| 2004 (58th) | Wonderful Town | Kathleen Marshall |
| 2005 (59th) |
| 2005 (59th) | Monty Python's Spamalot | Mike Nichols |
| 2005 (59th) | Dirty Rotten Scoundrels | Jack O'Brien |
| 2005 (59th) | The Light in the Piazza | Bartlett Sher |
| 2005 (59th) | The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee | James Lapine |
| 2006 (60th) |
| 2006 (60th) | Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street | John Doyle |
| 2006 (60th) | The Drowsy Chaperone | Casey Nicholaw |
| 2006 (60th) | Jersey Boys | Des McAnuff |
| 2006 (60th) | The Pajama Game | Kathleen Marshall |
| 2007 (61st) |
| 2007 (61st) | Spring Awakening | Michael Mayer |
| 2007 (61st) | Company | John Doyle |
| 2007 (61st) | Curtains | Scott Ellis |
| 2007 (61st) | Grey Gardens | Michael Greif |
| 2008 (62nd) |
| 2008 (62nd) | South Pacific | Bartlett Sher |
| 2008 (62nd) | Gypsy | Arthur Laurents |
| 2008 (62nd) | In the Heights | Thomas Kail |
| 2008 (62nd) | Sunday in the Park with George | Sam Buntrock |
| 2009 (63rd) |
| 2009 (63rd) | Billy Elliot the Musical | Stephen Daldry |
| 2009 (63rd) | Hair | Diane Paulus |
| 2009 (63rd) | Next to Normal | Michael Greif |
| 2009 (63rd) | Rock of Ages | Kristin Hanggi |

### 2010s

| Year | Production | Director |
| 2010 (64th) |
| 2010 (64th) | La Cage aux Folles | Terry Johnson |
| 2010 (64th) | Fela! | Bill T. Jones |
| 2010 (64th) | Memphis | Christopher Ashley |
| 2010 (64th) | Ragtime | Marcia Milgrom Dodge |
| 2011 (65th) |
| 2011 (65th) | The Book of Mormon | Casey Nicholaw and Trey Parker |
| 2011 (65th) | Anything Goes | Kathleen Marshall |
| 2011 (65th) | How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying | Rob Ashford |
| 2011 (65th) | The Scottsboro Boys | Susan Stroman |
| 2012 (66th) |
| 2012 (66th) | Once | John Tiffany |
| 2012 (66th) | Newsies | Jeff Calhoun |
| 2012 (66th) | Nice Work If You Can Get It | Kathleen Marshall |
| 2012 (66th) | Porgy and Bess | Diane Paulus |
| 2013 (67th) |
| 2013 (67th) | Pippin | Diane Paulus |
| 2013 (67th) | Kinky Boots | Jerry Mitchell |
| 2013 (67th) | Matilda the Musical | Matthew Warchus |
| 2013 (67th) | The Mystery of Edwin Drood | Scott Ellis |
| 2014 (68th) |
| 2014 (68th) | A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder | Darko Tresnjak |
| 2014 (68th) | After Midnight | Warren Carlyle |
| 2014 (68th) | Hedwig and the Angry Inch | Michael Mayer |
| 2014 (68th) | Violet | Leigh Silverman |
| 2015 (69th) |
| 2015 (69th) | Fun Home | Sam Gold |
| 2015 (69th) | An American in Paris | Christopher Wheeldon |
| 2015 (69th) | The King and I | Bartlett Sher |
| 2015 (69th) | On the Town | John Rando |
| 2015 (69th) | Something Rotten! | Casey Nicholaw |
| 2016 (70th) |
| 2016 (70th) | Hamilton | Thomas Kail |
| 2016 (70th) | The Color Purple | John Doyle |
| 2016 (70th) | She Loves Me | Scott Ellis |
| 2016 (70th) | Shuffle Along, or, the Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed | George C. Wolfe |
| 2016 (70th) | Spring Awakening | Michael Arden |
| 2017 (71st) |
| 2017 (71st) | Come from Away | Christopher Ashley |
| 2017 (71st) | Dear Evan Hansen | Michael Greif |
| 2017 (71st) | Groundhog Day | Matthew Warchus |
| 2017 (71st) | Hello, Dolly! | Jerry Zaks |
| 2017 (71st) | Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 | Rachel Chavkin |
| 2018 (72nd) |
| 2018 (72nd) | The Band's Visit | David Cromer |
| 2018 (72nd) | Mean Girls | Casey Nicholaw |
| 2018 (72nd) | My Fair Lady | Bartlett Sher |
| 2018 (72nd) | Once on This Island | Michael Arden |
| 2018 (72nd) | SpongeBob SquarePants | Tina Landau |
| 2019 (73rd) |
| 2019 (73rd) | Hadestown | Rachel Chavkin |
| 2019 (73rd) | Ain't Too Proud | Des McAnuff |
| 2019 (73rd) | Oklahoma! | Daniel Fish |
| 2019 (73rd) | The Prom | Casey Nicholaw |
| 2019 (73rd) | Tootsie | Scott Ellis |

### 2020s

| Year | Production | Director |
| 2020 (74th) |
| 2020 (74th) | Moulin Rouge! | Alex Timbers |
| 2020 (74th) | Jagged Little Pill | Diane Paulus |
| 2020 (74th) | Tina | Phyllida Lloyd |
| 2022 (75th) |
| 2022 (75th) | Company | Marianne Elliott |
| 2022 (75th) | Girl from the North Country | Conor McPherson |
| 2022 (75th) | MJ | Christopher Wheeldon |
| 2022 (75th) | Six | Lucy Moss and Jamie Armitage |
| 2022 (75th) | A Strange Loop | Stephen Brackett |
| 2023 (76th) |
| 2023 (76th) | Parade | Michael Arden |
| 2023 (76th) | Into the Woods | Lear deBessonet |
| 2023 (76th) | Kimberly Akimbo | Jessica Stone |
| 2023 (76th) | Shucked | Jack O'Brien |
| 2023 (76th) | Some Like It Hot | Casey Nicholaw |
| 2024 (77th) |
| 2024 (77th) | The Outsiders | Danya Taymor |
| 2024 (77th) | Hell's Kitchen | Michael Greif |
| 2024 (77th) | Merrily We Roll Along | Maria Friedman |
| 2024 (77th) | Suffs | Leigh Silverman |
| 2024 (77th) | Water for Elephants | Jessica Stone |

## Female winners and nominees

Out of 26 women nominated for 40 musicals, only 6 women have won this award for 6 musicals:
Bold represents winner
| Director | Nominated musical(s) |