# Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical

Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical was an annual award presented by Drama Desk in recognition of achievements in theatre across collective Broadway, off-Broadway and off-off-Broadway productions in New York City. The award was one of eight new acting awards first presented in 1975, when Drama Desk retired an earlier award that had made no distinction between work in plays and musicals, nor between actors and actresses, nor between lead performers and featured performers.
After the 2022 ceremony, all eight acting categories introduced in 1975 were retired. The award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical, along with Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical, were replaced in 2023 with the gender neutral category of Outstanding Featured Performance in a Musical.

## 1970s

| Year | Actress | Musical | Character |
| 1975 |
| 1975 | Donna Theodore | Shenandoah | Ann Anderson |
| 1975 | Boni Enten | The Rocky Horror Show | Columbia |
| 1975 | Kelly Garrett | The Night That Made America Famous | Various Characters |
| 1975 | Mabel King | The Wiz | Evillene |
| 1975 | Bonnie Langford | Gypsy | Baby June |
| 1975 | Penelope Milford | Shenandoah | Jenny Anderson |
| 1976 |
| 1976 | Vivian Reed | Bubbling Brown Sugar | Marsha / Young Irene |
| 1976 | Travis Hudson | Very Good Eddie | Madame Matroppo |
| 1976 | Mary Lou Rosato | The Robber Bridegroom | Salome |
| 1977 |
| 1977 | Dorothy Loudon | Annie | Miss Hannigan |
| 1977 | Delores Ivory Davis | Porgy and Bess | Serena |
| 1977 | Ernestine Jackson | Guys and Dolls | Sarah Brown |
| 1977 | Barbara Lang | The Robber Bridegroom | Salome |
| 1977 | Rita Moreno | She Loves Me | Ilona Ritter |
| 1978 |
| 1978 | Swoosie Kurtz | A History of the American Film | Bette |
| 1978 | Bobo Lewis | Working | Rose / Grace / Fran / Lucille |
| 1978 | Pamela Blair | The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas | Amber |
| 1978 | Lenora Nemetz | Working | Babe / Terry / Delores |
| 1979 |
| 1979 | Merle Louise | Sweeney Todd | Lucy Barker / The Beggar Woman |
| 1979 | Patricia Drylie | Ballroom | Angie |
| 1979 | Lynnie Godfrey | Eubie! | Various Characters |
| 1979 | Grace Keagy | Carmelina | Rosa |
| 1979 | Lisa Mordente | Platinum | Crystal Mason |

## 1980s

| Year | Actress | Musical | Character |
| 1980 |
| 1980 | Debbie Allen | West Side Story | Anita |
| 1980 | Peggy Hewett | A Day in Hollywood / A Night in the Ukraine | Mrs. Pavlenko |
| 1980 | Carolyn Mignini | Tintypes | Performer |
| 1980 | Janie Sell | God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater | Sylvia Rosewater |
| 1980 | Crissy Wilzak | The 1940's Radio Hour | Ginger Brooks |
| 1980 | Mary Catherine Wright | Tintypes | Performer |
| 1981 |
| 1981 | Marilyn Cooper | Woman of the Year | Jan Donovan |
| 1981 | Jennifer Holliday | Your Arms Too Short to Box with God | Performer |
| 1981 | Debbie Shapiro | Perfectly Frank | Performer |
| 1982 |
| 1982 | Liliane Montevecchi | Nine | Liliane La Fleur |
| 1982 | Anita Morris | Nine | Carla Albanese |
| 1982 | Laurie Beechman | Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat | The Narrator |
| 1982 | Shelly Burch | Nine | Claudia |
| 1982 | Lonette McKee | The First | Rachel |
| 1983 |
| 1983 | Karla Burns | Show Boat | Queenie |
| 1983 | Rebecca Wright | Merlin | Philomena |
| 1983 | Michele-Denise Woods | The Cradle Will Rock | Ella Hammer |
| 1984 |
| 1984 | Catherine Cox | Baby | Pam Sakarian |
| 1984 | Lila Kedrova | Zorba | Madame Hortense |
| 1984 | Laura Dean | Doonesbury | Boopsie |
| 1984 | Bonnie Koloc | The Human Comedy | Kate |
| 1984 | Marni Nixon | Taking My Turn | Edna |
| 1985 |
| 1985 | Leilani Jones | Grind | Satin |
| 1985 | Sharon Murray | Grind | Romaine |
| 1985 | Marianne Tatum | The Three Musketeers | Milady de Winter |
| 1985 | Charlayne Woodard | Hang on to the Good Times | Performer |
| 1986 |
| 1986 | Jana Schneider | The Mystery of Edwin Drood | Helena Landless / Janet Conover |
| 1986 | Desiree Colman | Big Deal | Phoebe |
| 1986 | Faye Grant | Singin' in the Rain | Lina |
| 1986 | Kathryn McAteer | Mayor | Performer |
| 1986 | Bebe Neuwirth | Sweet Charity | Nickie |
| 1987 |
| 1987 | Jane Summerhays | Me and My Girl | Jaqueline 'Jackie' Carstone |
| 1987 | Michele Bautier | Stardust | Performer |
| 1987 | Sandra Chinn | Funny Feet | Various Characters |
| 1987 | Judy Kuhn | Rags | Bella Cohen |
| 1987 | Judy Kuhn | Les Misérables | Cosette |
| 1987 | Marcia Lewis | Rags | Rachel Halpern |
| 1988 |
| 1988 | Joanna Gleason | Into the Woods | The Baker's Wife |
| 1988 | Danielle Ferland | Into the Woods | Little Red Ridinghood |
| 1988 | Lyn Greene | Flora the Red Menace | Comrade Charlotte |
| 1988 | Judy Kaye | The Phantom of the Opera | Carlotta |
| 1989 |
| 1989 | — | — | — |

## 1990s

| Year | Actress | Musical | Character |
| 1990 |
| 1990 | Randy Graff | City of Angels | Oolie / Donna |
| 1990 | Danielle Du Clos | Aspects of Love | Jenny Dillingham |
| 1990 | Jane Krakowski | Grand Hotel | Freida Flamm / Flaemmchen |
| 1990 | Crista Moore | Gypsy | Louise |
| 1991 |
| 1991 | Karen Ziemba | And the World Goes 'Round | Various Characters |
| 1991 | Alison Fraser | The Secret Garden | Martha Sowerby |
| 1991 | Rebecca Luker | The Secret Garden | Lily |
| 1991 | Regina Resnik | A Little Night Music | Madame Armfeldt |
| 1992 |
| 1992 | Tonya Pinkins | Jelly's Last Jam | Anita |
| 1992 | Liz Larsen | The Most Happy Fella | Cleo |
| 1992 | Michele Pawk | Crazy for You | Irene Roth |
| 1992 | Barbara Walsh | Falsettos | Trina |
| 1993 |
| 1993 | Andrea Martin | My Favorite Year | Alice Miller |
| 1993 | Julie Andrews | Putting It Together | Amy |
| 1993 | Tovah Feldshuh | Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah! | Various Characters |
| 1993 | Karen Mason | Carnival! | Rosalie |
| 1993 | Rachel York | Putting It Together | The Younger Woman |
| 1994 |
| 1994 | Audra McDonald | Carousel | Carrie Pipperidge |
| 1994 | Judy Blazer | Hello Again | The Nurse |
| 1994 | Sally Mayes | She Loves Me | Ilona Ritter |
| 1994 | Donna Murphy | Hello Again | The Whore |
| 1994 | Alene Robertson | Annie Warbucks | Commissioner Harriet Doyle |
| 1996 |
| 1996 | Rachel York | Victor/Victoria | Norma Cassidy |
| 1996 | Veanne Cox | Company | Amy |
| 1996 | Kathy Fitzgerald | Swinging on a Star | Various Characters |
| 1996 | Donna McKechnie | State Fair | Emily Arden |
| 1996 | Christine Pedi | Forbidden Hollywood | Various Characters |
| 1997 |
| 1997 | Lillias White | The Life | Sonja |
| 1997 | Marcia Lewis | Chicago | Matron "Mama" Morton |
| 1997 | Andrea Martin | Candide | Old Lady |
| 1997 | Debra Monk | Steel Pier | Shelby Stevens |
| 1997 | Jennifer Simard | I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change | Woman #1 |
| 1997 | Ruth Williamson | The Green Heart | Mrs. Tragger |
| 1998 |
| 1998 | Tsidii Le Loka | The Lion King | Rafiki |
| 1998 | Betty Buckley | Triumph of Love | Hesione |
| 1998 | Lea DeLaria | On the Town | Hildy Esterhazy |
| 1998 | Anna Kendrick | High Society | Dinah Lord |
| 1998 | Ednita Nazario | The Capeman | Esmeralda Agrón |
| 1998 | Michele Pawk | Cabaret | Fraulein Kost |
| 1999 |
| 1999 | Kristin Chenoweth | You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown | Sally Brown |
| 1999 | Gretha Boston | It Ain't Nothin' But the Blues | Various Characters |
| 1999 | Cheryl Freeman | The Civil War | Bessie Toler |
| 1999 | Penny Fuller | A New Brain | Mimi Schwinn |
| 1999 | Jane Lanier | Fosse | Various Characters |
| 1999 | Eloise Laws | It Ain't Nothin' But the Blues | Various Characters |

## 2000s

| Year | Actress | Musical | Character |
| 2000 |
| 2000 | Karen Ziemba | Contact | Wife |
| 2000 | Nancy Anderson | Jolson and Co. | Mae West |
| 2000 | Sally Ann Howes | James Joyce's The Dead | Aunt Julia Morkan |
| 2000 | Eartha Kitt | The Wild Party | Dolores |
| 2000 | Alix Korey | The Wild Party | Madelaine True |
| 2000 | Idina Menzel | The Wild Party | Kate |
| 2001 |
| 2001 | Cady Huffman | The Producers | Ulla Swanson |
| 2001 | Polly Bergen | Follies | Carlotta Campion |
| 2001 | Kathleen Freeman | The Full Monty | Jeanette Burmeister |
| 2001 | Randy Graff | A Class Act | Sophie |
| 2001 | Spencer Kayden | Urinetown | Little Sally |
| 2001 | Janine LaManna | Seussical | Gertrude McFuzz |
| 2002 |
| 2002 | Harriet Harris | Thoroughly Modern Millie | Mrs. Meers |
| 2002 | Liz Callaway | The Spitfire Grill | Shelby |
| 2002 | Judy Kaye | Mamma Mia! | Rosie Mulligan |
| 2002 | Andrea Martin | Oklahoma! | Aunt Eller |
| 2002 | Karen Mason | Mamma Mia! | Tanya Chesham-Leigh |
| 2002 | Kerry O'Malley | Into the Woods | The Baker's Wife |
| 2003 |
| 2003 | Jane Krakowski | Nine | Carla Albanese |
| 2003 | Kerry Butler | Hairspray | Penny Pingleton |
| 2003 | Mary Stuart Masterson | Nine | Luisa Contini |
| 2003 | Sally Mayes | Urban Cowboy | Aunt Corene |
| 2003 | Chita Rivera | Nine | Lillane La Fleur |
| 2003 | Debra Walton | Cookin' at the Cookery | Young Alberta Hunter |
| 2004 |
| 2004 | Isabel Keating | The Boy from Oz | Judy Garland |
| 2004 | Lovette George | The Musical of Musicals (The Musical!) | Various Characters |
| 2004 | Alix Korey | Listen to My Heart | Various Characters |
| 2004 | Anika Noni Rose | Caroline, or Change | Emmie Thibodeaux |
| 2004 | Jennifer Simard | The Thing About Men | Woman |
| 2004 | Mary Testa | First Lady Suite | Lorena Hickock |
| 2005 |
| 2005 | Jan Maxwell | Chitty Chitty Bang Bang | Baroness Bomburst |
| 2005 | Joanna Gleason | Dirty Rotten Scoundrels | Muriel |
| 2005 | Kecia Lewis | Dessa Rose | Dorcas |
| 2005 | Maureen McGovern | Little Women | Marmee |
| 2005 | Jennifer Simard | Forbidden Broadway: Special Victims Unit | Various Characters |
| 2005 | Sarah Uriarte Berry | The Light in the Piazza | Franca Naccarelli |
| 2006 |
| 2006 | Beth Leavel | The Drowsy Chaperone | Beatrice Stockwell |
| 2006 | Carolee Carmello | Lestat | Gabrielle |
| 2006 | Leslie Kritzer | The Great American Trailer Park Musical | Pickles |
| 2006 | Amy Spanger | The Wedding Singer | Holly |
| 2006 | Mary Testa | See What I Wanna See | Aunt Monica |
| 2006 | Mary Louise Wilson | Grey Gardens | Edith Bouvier Beale |
| 2007 |
| 2007 | Debra Monk | Curtains | Carmen Bernstein |
| 2007 | Linda Balgord | The Pirate Queen | Queen Elizabeth I |
| 2007 | Celia Keenan-Bolger | Les Misérables | Éponine |
| 2007 | Orfeh | Legally Blonde | Paulette |
| 2007 | Barbara Walsh | Company | Joanne |
| 2007 | Karen Ziemba | Curtains | Georgia Hendricks |
| 2008 |
| 2008 | Laura Benanti | Gypsy | Louise |
| 2008 | Leslie Kritzer | A Catered Affair | Jane Hurley |
| 2008 | Andrea Martin | Young Frankenstein | Frau Blucher |
| 2008 | Mary Testa | Xanadu | Melpomene / Medusa |
| 2008 | Amy Warren | Adding Machine | Daisy Devore |
| 2008 | Mare Winningham | 10 Million Miles | Various Characters |
| 2009 |
| 2009 | Haydn Gwynne | Billy Elliot the Musical | Mrs. Wilkinson |
| 2009 | Farah Alvin | The Marvelous Wonderettes | Missy |
| 2009 | Christina Bianco | Forbidden Broadway Goes to Rehab | Various Characters |
| 2009 | Karen Olivo | West Side Story | Anita |
| 2009 | Nancy Opel | The Toxic Avenger | Mayor |
| 2009 | Martha Plimpton | Pal Joey | Gladys Bumps |

## 2010s

| Year | Actress | Musical | Character |
| 2010 |
| 2010 | Katie Finneran | Promises, Promises | Marge MacDougall |
| 2010 | Carolee Carmello | The Addams Family | Alice Beineke |
| 2010 | Carrie Cimma | Lizzie Borden | Bridget Sullivan |
| 2010 | Angela Lansbury | A Little Night Music | Madame Armfeldt |
| 2010 | Kenita R. Miller | Langston in Harlem | Zora Neale Hurston |
| 2010 | Terri White | Finian's Rainbow | Dottie |
| 2011 |
| 2011 | Laura Benanti | Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown | Candela |
| 2011 | Kerry Butler | Catch Me If You Can | Brenda Strong |
| 2011 | Victoria Clark | Sister Act | Mother Superior |
| 2011 | Jill Eikenberry | The Kid | Judith Savage |
| 2011 | Nikki M. James | The Book of Mormon | Nabalungi Hatimbi |
| 2011 | Patti LuPone | Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown | Lucia |
| 2011 | Laura Osnes | Anything Goes | Hope Harcourt |
| 2012 |
| 2012 | Judy Kaye | Nice Work If You Can Get It | Estonia Dulworth |
| 2012 | Marin Mazzie | Carrie | Margaret White |
| 2012 | Jessie Mueller | On a Clear Day You Can See Forever | Melinda Wells |
| 2012 | Elaine Paige | Follies | Carlotta Campion |
| 2012 | Sarah Sokolovic | The Shaggs: Philosophy of the World | Betty Wiggin |
| 2012 | Melissa van der Schyff | Bonnie & Clyde | Blanche Barrow |
| 2013 |
| 2013 | Andrea Martin | Pippin | Berthe |
| 2013 | Annaleigh Ashford | Kinky Boots | Lauren |
| 2013 | Melissa Errico | Passion | Clara |
| 2013 | Jessie Mueller | The Mystery of Edwin Drood | Helena Landless / Miss Janet Conover |
| 2013 | Christiane Noll | Chaplin: The Musical | Hannah Chaplin |
| 2013 | Keala Settle | Hands on a Hardbody | Norma Valverde |
| 2013 | Kate Wetherhead | The Other Josh Cohen | Various Characters |
| 2014 |
| 2014 | Anika Larsen | Beautiful: The Carole King Musical | Cynthia Weil |
| 2014 | Lauren Worsham | A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder | Phoebe D'Ysquith |
| 2014 | Stephanie J. Block | Little Miss Sunshine | Sheryl Hoover |
| 2014 | Adriane Lenox | After Midnight | Various Characters |
| 2014 | Sydney Lucas | Fun Home | Small Alison Bechdel |
| 2014 | Laura Osnes | The Threepenny Opera | Polly Peachum |
| 2014 | Jennifer Simard | Disaster! | Sister Mary Downy |
| 2015 |
| 2015 | Renée Elise Goldsberry | Hamilton | Angelica Schuyler |
| 2015 | Carolee Carmello | Finding Neverland | Emma Wightwick du Maurier |
| 2015 | Tyne Daly | It Shoulda Been You | Judy Steinberg |
| 2015 | Elizabeth A. Davis | Allegro | Jenny Brinker |
| 2015 | Luba Mason | Pretty Filthy | Georgina Congress |
| 2015 | Nancy Opel | Honeymoon in Vegas | Bea Singer |
| 2015 | Elizabeth Stanley | On the Town | Claire De Loone |
| 2016 |
| 2016 | Jane Krakowski | She Loves Me | Ilona Ritter |
| 2016 | Danielle Brooks | The Color Purple | Sofia Johnson |
| 2016 | Alison Fraser | First Daughter Suite | Betty Ford / Nancy Reagan |
| 2016 | Rachel Bay Jones | Dear Evan Hansen | Heidi Hansen |
| 2016 | Mary Testa | First Daughter Suite | Barbara Bush |
| 2017 |
| 2017 | Jenn Colella | Come from Away | Annette, Beverly Bass, and others |
| 2017 | Kate Baldwin | Hello, Dolly! | Irene Molloy |
| 2017 | Stephanie J. Block | Falsettos | Trina |
| 2017 | Mary Beth Peil | Anastasia | Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna |
| 2017 | Nora Schell | Spamilton | Various Characters |
| 2018 |
| 2018 | Lindsay Mendez | Carousel | Carrie Pipperidge |
| 2018 | Kenita R. Miller | Once On This Island | Mama Euralie |
| 2018 | Ashley Park | Mean Girls | Gretchen Weiners |
| 2018 | Diana Rigg | My Fair Lady | Mrs. Higgins |
| 2018 | Kate Rockwell | Mean Girls | Karen Smith |
| 2019 |
| 2019 | Ali Stroker | Rodgers & Hammerstein's Oklahoma! | Ado Annie Carnes |
| 2019 | Stephanie Hsu | Be More Chill | Christine Canigula |
| 2019 | Leslie Kritzer | Beetlejuice | Delia Deetz / Miss Argentina |
| 2019 | Soara-Joye Ross | Carmen Jones | Frankie |
| 2019 | Sarah Stiles | Tootsie | Sandy Lester |
| 2019 | Mary Testa | Rodgers & Hammerstein's Oklahoma! | Aunt Eller |

## 2020s

| Year | Actress | Musical | Character |
| 2020 |
| 2020 | Lauren Patten | Jagged Little Pill | Jo |
| 2020 | Yesenia Ayala | West Side Story | Anita |
| 2020 | Paula Leggett Chase | The Unsinkable Molly Brown | Ensemble |
| 2020 | LaChanze | The Secret Life of Bees | August |
| 2020 | Alyse Alan Louis | Soft Power | Zoe/Hillary |
| 2021 | No awards: New York theatres shuttered, March 2020 to September 2021, due to the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City | No awards: New York theatres shuttered, March 2020 to September 2021, due to the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City | No awards: New York theatres shuttered, March 2020 to September 2021, due to the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City |
| 2022 |
| 2022 | Patti LuPone | Company | Joanne |
| 2022 | Judy Kuhn | Assassins | Sara Jane Moore |
| 2022 | Tamika Lawrence | Black No More | Buni |
| 2022 | Bonnie Milligan | Kimberly Akimbo | Debra |
| 2022 | Jennifer Simard | Company | Sarah |

## Multiple Wins
### 2 wins

* Laura Benanti
* Jane Krakowski
* Andrea Martin
* Karen Ziemba