My Top Five Favourite Movie Musical Actresses

The actress often makes the movie musical, and on the Simon Morris blog this week, I’ve listed who I believe are the top five movie musical actresses ever!

A Combination of Theatre and Silver Screen

There are many elements to the movie musical – score, costumes, script etc., but without the star power of a truly world class leading lady – who can bring the main female role to life – it’s bound to fail!

But it takes a lot to be the leading lady of a movie musical. You’re not dealing with a live audience – therefore, you not only have to have the skills required for the stage, but those required for a star of the silver screen – to bring a truly iconic leading lady to life.

Simon Morris’ Fabulous Five Leading Ladies

It’s rare that an actress- no matter how talented – can make the transition one way or the other, but in my opinion, Simon Morris readers , these top five movie musical leading ladies were more than capable of tackling the task at hand:

1)      Judy Garland: Judy Garland is the quintessential movie musical leading lady. From Wizard of Oz to Summer Stock to A Star is Born, Garland typified the versatility required of a leading lady to take on the movie musical genre. Every actress sees Judy as the one to beat.

2)      Barbara Streisand: And she has a fierce contender in arguably the most famous musical theatre actress of all time, Barbara Streisand. Bab’s has taken leading lady roles in a number of movie musicals including Funny Girl, Yentl, and a remake of Garland’s own A Star is Born. Her killer vocals, effortless charm and sheer likeability, make her the perfect movie musical leading lady.

3)      Julie Andrews: Is there anything this woman can’t do. Easily one of the most successful actresses to ever come out of the UK, Andrews is possibly most remembered for her iconic turns in movie musicals The Sound of Music and Mary Poppins. The enduring popularity of both productions, shows just how suited Andrews was, and always will be, to the role of movie musical star.

4)      Liza Minnelli: In every way, she really is her mother’s daughter. Minnelli proved that she is every bit the movie musical leading lady her mother was in 1972’s smash hit Cabaret.  Her haunting vocals, infectious presence and intriguing performance make her a star among movie musical leading ladies.

Angela Lansbury: Few have had a career as distinguished as Angela Lansbury, and she’s certainly proved that she’s capable of the title ‘movie musical leading lady’ in her time. She famously starred alongside Garland in 1946 western movie musical The Harvey Girls, and has since taken heralded roles in a number of others, including Bed knobs and Broomsticks, Blue Hawaii and Sweeney Todd.