Five Favorite Female Performances in Musicals

Again, an oddly precise list, however i simply adore musicals, and many of my favorites seem to be female led, about a year ago i did a list of my seven favorite musicals (here). You will see that most of the films on the list have female leads, and continuing my Five Favorites series, i decided to list my five favorite female performances in movie musicals.

• Nicole Kidman as Satine in Moulin Rouge

Oscar nominated, Kidman's performance in this film is often unfairly overlooked, but Kidman is perfect in this role as the effervescent, sexy and sensual nightclub singer and courtesan, she manages to be fragile and honest, as well as being the powerful and manipulative femme fatale. Kidman also has a fantastic singing voice, and the soundtrack of this movie is one of my favorites. Her performance during the reprise of Come What May is particularly spectacular, and the pain in her voice is all too apparent.

• Julie Andrews as Mary in Mary Poppins

 One of the earliest modern musicals, Mary Poppins set a stunningly high bar for movie musicals in the century that followed, Julie Andrews is so ideally suited to the role of Mary Poppins that it would be utterly inconceivable to imagine anyone else playing her on screen, Andrews imbues the role with grace and class, and her voice is crisp and elegant. Andrews' performance is so iconic that it influenced performances not only in musicals but other cinematic nannies for years to come, and Mary Poppins became instantly the quintessential English nanny for audiences across the globe.

• Jennifer Hudson as Effie White in Dreamgirls

 I love this movie, and Hudson's performance is one of the reasons why i adore this film so, vocally Hudson is an incredibly strong vocalist, and her performance in this film is entirely believable, her arc in this film is incredibly sad and full of pain, and Hudson's acting chops are unbelievable for someone who was discovered on American Idol. She deservedly won the Oscar for her performance in Dreamgirls, and her rendition of And I Am Telling You cements her place as one of the best female vocalists since Aretha Franklin.

• Catherine Zeta Jones as Velma Kelly in Chicago

 Although a supporting performance, Jones performance in Chicago is one of the best things about this film, despite Catherine Zeta Jones not being the best vocalist in Hollywood or even in this film, her performance succeeds due to her managing to craft a believable personality from this vaudevillian sex kitten Velma Kelly, her performance is delightfully catty, and she is unbelievably cool in the role. So despite not being the greatest vocalist, somehow Catherine Zeta Jones is the best thing about Chicago.

• Madonna as Eva Peron in Evita

How could i not? Yes, I am a huge fan of Madonna, and yes that probably makes me biased, but Madonna is simply astounding as Eva Peron, despite being cruelly snubbed an Oscar nomination, her performance in this film remains iconic and transgressive. Watching this film, not as a contemporary, but as a modern viewer, and being such a huge fan of Madonna makes her performance all the more impressive, her performance is chameleonic, and throughout the entire film, i never noticed Madonna once, she became Eva Peron in spirit and in appearance, and as the film contains virtually no speaking whatsoever, her acting is done almost exclusively through expression and song. Madonna's performance is not only one of the greatest in a musical, but one of, if not the best female performances of all time, she is simply astounding, and easily exceeds all expectations.