TOP 10 TUESDAY: Theatrical Lead Actors (female)
- James Tradgett
- Jun 17
- 8 min read
Across the west end and broadway we have had some astoundingly talented leading ladies grace the doors of the biggest stages on the planet, with roles such as Mama Rose, Sally Bowles and Mrs Lovett really helping separate the true greats from the rest of the pack. Here are my top 10 picks for lead actresses across both London and New York's respective theatre scenes.
10. IMELDA STAUNTON
We start this list with the most recent recipient of the Olivier award for best actress in a musical, and by far one of the most decorated west end performers currently treading the boards, Dame Imelda Staunton has a resumé of which many current and aspiring stage performers can only dream, with a particular proclivity for the work of Stephen Sondheim, including Into The Woods, Gypsy and Sweeney Todd featuring among her most iconic performances, with each of these earning her an Olivier award for best actress in a musical.
And her acting exploits are certainly not limited to the stage, many who aren't theatre aficionados, or even casual observers, will likely have seen Staunton in media like the Netflix series The Crown, or her Oscar nominated performance in Vera Drake. However it's her stage work that has yielded the greatest critical acclaim, and her 2024 performance as Dolly Levi in the Jerry Herman musical "Hello, Dolly!" cemented her status as an all time great of the west end stage.
9. CAROL CHANNING
Before the role of Dolly Levi in Hello, Dolly! became such a sought after role for performers, before Barbara, Bette and Imelda took the role and made it their own, there was Carol Channing, a star like few others before or after her, and one with whom the role of Dolly has become synonymous, not least because of her four separate stints in the show, both on broadway and in the west end. Blessed with an individual expression and stage presence, and an instantly recognisable low, gravelly alto voice, Channing was able to connect with audiences like few others.
Channing's zest for life was well documented, looked after herself remarkably well, and was still making public media appearances well into her later life, with her final public appearance being in an episode of RuPaul's Drag Race at the age of 95. With her enormous, infectious personality, generosity of spirit, and genuine warmth, Channing will always be a beloved figure in the history of the stage.
8. JUDI DENCH
Another darling of the west end, and the first on this list to have conquered both London and New York with her diverse range of stage performances in both plays and musicals. Dame Judi Dench has a stage career that spanned seven decades, with everything from Chekhov and Wilde to Sondheim and Kander & Ebb, most notably originating the role of Sally Bowles in Cabaret in the west end in 1968. It is undoubtedly her many, many performances in Shakespeare plays that set her apart as one of Britain's foremost stage actors.
Dench actually made her broadway debut before she first appeared in the west end, with a double bill of both Twelfth Night and Henry V transferring from the Old Vic to the Broadway Theatre in 1958. Her only other performance on broadway was in the David Hare play "Amy's View", at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre in 1999, however it was this run that secured her the Tony award for best actress in a play, from what was her first and only Tony nomination. Back in the UK, her Shakespeare back catalogue is so extensive one could spend all day trying to document it, with seven Olivier wins from fifteen nominations. Though she has retired from acting, Dench will always be remembered as an all-time great of the west end and broadway stage.
7. ETHEL MERMAN
Next up, we move to one of the earliest "broadway belters", and one who arguably inspired generations of stage performers for decades thereafter. Known for her huge stage presence, and enormous voice that filled an auditorium like few musical theatre performers before or since, Ethel Merman was a performer like no other; though critics weren't always in agreement that her perceived "brashness" was appropriate for broadway, she was a woman years ahead of her time.
Merman's career wasn't marred at all by the fact that she never took vocal lessons, especially since she was performing in a time when microphones weren't used on broadway, so she had a distinct advantage over others with her huge mezzo soprano voice, terrific diction and impressive range. She was also regularly praised for her spontaneity and ease with which she could take on her various stage roles, including acting as the original Mama Rose in Jule Styne and Stephen Sondheim's musical Gypsy, a role that has since become a holy grail for female stage performers.
6. PATTI LUPONE
Love her or hate her, Patti LuPone is an absolute juggernaut of a stage performer, with a career spanning over fifty years across the stage and screen. Though casual viewers are perhaps more likely to know her TV work, such as in American Horror Story: Coven, and Marvel Studios' series Agatha All Along, LuPone has a list of stage credits that is truly too long to count. On top of that, she has three Tony Awards from eight total nominations for everything from Cole Porter to Sondheim to Lloyd Webber. Perhaps her best known performances though were her turn as Mama Rose in Gypsy (considered by many to be the quintessential Rose), and originating the role of Fantine in Schönberg and Boublil' musical Les Miserables, this year celebrating its 40th birthday.
More recently, LuPone appeared in both the west end and broadway as Joanna in the new gender-swapped production of Stephen Sondheim's "Company", winning her both the Olivier for best supporting actress, and Tony for best featured actress in a musical, her third Tony win from eight nominations, and second Olivier win from three nominations. On top of all this, she has also performed opera, having appeared with the Los Angeles Opera and the San Francisco Baroque Philharmonia Orchestra; there really isn't much that she can't do.
5. BERNADETTE PETERS
You would be hard pressed to find anyone with a bad word to say about the great Bernadette Peters, either as a performer or a human being. Peters is arguably one of the foremost interpreter of the works of Stephen Sondheim, performing in the original broadway casts of both Into The Woods and Sunday In The Park With George, as well as performing in major revivals of Follies, A Little Night Music and Gypsy. She has also been honoured with two Tony Award wins from seven nominations, and is regularly praised for her expressive, emotionally driven performance style, being able to make profound personal connections in her performances.
Her career started early, making her professional stage debut at the age of 11, in a New York City Center production of Frank Loesser's musical "The Most Happy Fella". She has since starred in a varied range of stage productions, and originated four roles in broadway productions, three of which earned her Tony nominations. She is also well known for her screen roles, including playing Lily St. Regis in the movie musical version of Annie, and voicing Rita the cat in the animated series Animaniacs. At present she continues to dazzle audiences, starring in Sondheim's Old Friends at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre on broadway, a show in which she originally performed in London.
4. LIZA MINNELLI
When your mother is a global megastar like Judy Garland, living up to that may seem like a daunting, even terrifying prospect. Clearly it has never adversely affected Liza Minneli, who carved out an impressive career for herself as a stage and screen performer, and although perhaps her best known role was as Sally Bowles in the movie of Kander and Ebb's "Cabaret" alongside Joel Gray, she also has an impressive broadway career that has included performances in The Fantasticks, The Pajama Game, The Rink, and perhaps most famously replacing original Roxie Hart Gwen Verdon in the original production of Chicago.
Her performances alongside childhood idol Chita Rivera (more about her later...) in the Kander and Ebb musical Chicago were nothing short of legendary; additionally, she is the only person on this list to have received the coveted quartet of American entertainment awards, i.e. Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony (albeit her Grammy was an honorary, non-competitive award). A triple threat through and through, Minnelli was a master of her craft, inspiring generations to come after her.
3. AUDRA MCDONALD
We couldn't do a list of theatrical leads without mentioning the most successful and decorated performer in Tony awards history, the career of Audra McDonald is one that will likely be studied by scholars and theatre students in decades to come. Her eleven nominations and six wins are both all-time records for a performer at the Tony awards, and she is also the only actor ever to win a Tony in four consecutive decades. This almost universal acclaim is largely due to her versatile voice that is equally adept at musical theatre and opera, as well as her extraordinary emotional range and depth.
Her broadway debut came as a replacement in the original production of The Secret Garden at the St. James Theatre in 1992, and has since gone on to a lucrative and varied stage career, from Carousel to Ragtime to A Raisin In The Sun. At present, McDonald is performing on broadway as Mama Rose in Gypsy, a role for which she received her 11th Tony nomination; her corresponding performance at the awards ceremony is being touted by many as one of the finest solo Tonys performances of all time.
2. CHITA RIVERA
Perhaps the ultimate theatrical triple thread, Puerto Rican performer Chita Rivera was a trailblazer of the broadway stage during the 1950s and 60s, starting her career as a dancer in the original production of Guys & Dolls at the 46th Street Theatre (now the Richard Rodgers), before rising to prominence in 1957 after originating the role of Anita in Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim's musical "West Side Story" on broadway, later transferring to the west end with the production following a regional tryout of the show at the Manchester Opera House.
Known for her dominant, energetic performance style and unmatched precision in everything she did on stage, Rivera is the benchmark many strive towards when they are treading the boards as a musical performer. She was also enormously critically successful, and earned a total of 10 Tony nominations, winning twice and both times for Kander and Ebb productions, first for "The Rink" in 1984, and then for "Kiss of the Spider Woman" in 1993; in addition was honoured with a special award in 2018.
1. ANGELA LANSBURY
Iconic doesn't even begin to cover the much loved career of arguably one of the UK's finest ever exponents of the stage. With an instantly recognisable voice, unmatched stage presence, and an acting CV that would prove the envy of any aspiring stage actor, Angela Lansbury has originated a plethora of stage roles, including Mame, Mrs Lovett and Cora Hoover Hooper on broadway, and Mama Rose in the west end. Her performance style has often been described as a mix of intelligence, warmth, and subtle strength, and she truly can belt with the best of them.
Though many will recognise Lansbury from the TV series Murder, She Wrote, or from the Disney film Beauty and the Beast, dependent on your generation, she has a gargantuan array of stage credits that span seven decades. And though she was born and raised mostly in the UK, she spent the majority of her life and career living in the US, with many of her stage performances taking place in New York, and though her singing voice was described by Sondheim as being "strong but with limited range", it was her acting through song that set her apart from others, as well as her commanding presence and naturally gentle but steadfast demeanour. There will never be another quite like Lansbury, she was truly one of a kind.
Do you agree with my picks? Who is your favourite leading lady of the stage? Let me know below, or on my Instagram page.
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