Tony Award for Best Original Score

The Tony Award for Best Original Score is the Tony Award given to the composers and lyricists of the best original score written for a musical in that year. The score consists of music and lyrics. To be eligible, a score must be written specifically for the theatre and must be original; compilations of non-theatrical music or compilations of earlier theatrical music are not eligible for consideration.

The award has undergone a number of minor changes. In 1947, 1950, 1951, and 1962, the award went to the composer only. Otherwise, the award has gone to the composer and lyricist for their combined contributions, except for 1971 when the two awards were split (although Stephen Sondheim won both, for Company).

In only four years have non-musical plays been nominated for Tony Awards in this category: Much Ado About Nothing in 1973, The Song of Jacob Zulu in 1993,Twelfth Night nominated in 1999, and in 2010, Enron and Fences.

Contents

Awards and nominations

1940s

1950s

1960s

1970s

1980s

1990s

2000s

2010s

Multiple winners

7 Wins
3 Wins
2 Wins

External links

Tony Award for Best Original Score
1947–1975
1976–2000

A Chorus Line by Marvin Hamlisch and Edward Kleban (1976) · Annie by Charles Strouse and Martin Charnin (1977) · On the Twentieth Century by Cy Coleman, Betty Comden, and Adolph Green (1978) · Sweeney Todd by Stephen Sondheim (1979) · Evita by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice (1980) · Woman of the Year by John Kander and Fred Ebb (1981) · Nine by Maury Yeston (1982) · Cats by Andrew Lloyd Webber and T. S. Eliot (1983) · La Cage aux Folles by Jerry Herman (1984) · Big River by Roger Miller (1985) · Drood by Rupert Holmes (1986) · Les Misérables by Claude-Michel Schonberg and Herbert Kretzmer (1987) · Into the Woods by Stephen Sondheim (1988) · City of Angels by Cy Coleman and David Zippel (1990) · The Will Rogers Follies by Cy Coleman, Betty Comden, and Adolph Green (1991) · Falsettos by William Finn (1992) · Kiss of the Spider Woman by John Kander and Fred Ebb / The Who's Tommy by Pete Townshend (1993) · Passion by Stephen Sondheim (1994) · Sunset Boulevard by Andrew Lloyd Webber, Don Black, and Christopher Hampton (1995) · Rent by Jonathan Larson (1996) · Titanic by Maury Yeston (1997) · Ragtime by Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens (1998) · Parade by Jason Robert Brown (1999) · Aida by Elton John and Tim Rice (2000)
2001–present
Complete list · (1947–1975) · (1976–2000) · (2001–2025)