Il Grammy Award al miglior album di un musical teatrale (Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album) è stato assegnato ogni anno a partire dal 1959.
Negli anni la qualifica del candidato è stata rivolta ai principali artisti, ai compositori o ai produttori. Dal 2012 la descrizione del premio afferma: "Premio per il principale interprete (o interpreti) e il produttore (o produttori) di almeno il 51% della durata della musica dell'album. Il paroliere (o parolieri) e compositore (o compositori) di nuovi brani sono eleggibili per il Premio se hanno scritto e/o composto almeno il 51% della durata della musica dell'album." Quindi questi ultimi non sono eleggibili quando l'album contiene per la maggior parte materiale precedentemente pubblicato (revival, jukebox musical, citazioni). Inoltre, sebbene non presente tra le candidature, dal 2001 è riconosciuto un Grammy agli ingegneri musicali dell'album vincente.
Modifiche al nome Il premio ha avuto diverse ma lievi modifiche al nome:
1959: Miglior album di un cast originale (Broadway o televisivo) 1960: Miglior album di uno spettacolo Broadway 1961: Miglior album di uno spettacolo (cast originale) 1962-1963: Miglior album di un cast originale di uno spettacolo 1964-1973: Migliore colonna sonora da un album di un cast originale di uno spettacolo 1974-1975: Migliore colonna sonora dall'album di un cast originale di uno spettacolo 1976-1986: Miglior album di un cast di uno spettacolo 1987-1991: Miglior album di un cast di uno spettacolo musical 1992-2011: Miglior album di uno spettacolo musical 2012-presente: Miglior album di un musical teatrale
Vincitori e candidati In seguito sono elencati i vincitori del premio. I nomi che seguono il "punto e virgola" indicano i produttori, i nomi che seguono il secondo "punto e virgola" dopo il 2001 indicano gli ingegneri del suono:
1950 1959 The Music Man – Meredith Willson Flower Drum Song – Richard Rodgers The Music from Peter Gunn – Henry Mancini Sound of Jazz, Seven Lively Arts – Count Basie, Billie Holiday e altri Victory at Sea, Vol. 2 – RCA Victor Symphony
1960 1960 Gypsy – Ethel Merman Redhead – Gwen Verdon Ages of Man – John Gielgud Once Upon a Mattress – Hal Hastings A Party with Betty Comden and Adolph Green – Betty Comden e Adolph Green 1961 The Sound of Music – Oscar Hammerstein II e Richard Rodgers Bye Bye Birdie – Charles Strouse e Lee Adams Camelot – Alan Jay Lerner e Frederick Loewe Fiorello! – Jerry Bock e Sheldon Harnick The Unsinkable Molly Brown – Meredith Willson 1962 How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying – Frank Loesser Carnival! – Bob Merrill Do-Re-Mi – Jule Styne, Betty Comden e Adolph Green Milk and Honey – Jerry Herman Wildcat – Cy Coleman e Carolyn Leigh 1963 No Strings – Richard Rodgers Beyond the Fringe – Dudley Moore A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum – Stephen Sondheim Oliver! – Lionel Bart Stop the World - I Want to Get Off – Leslie Bricusse, Anthony Newley 1964 She Loves Me – Jerry Bock e Sheldon Harnick 110 in the Shade – Harvey Schmidt e Tom Jones Jennie – Arthur Schwartz e Howard Dietz Tovarich – Lee Pockriss, Anne Cromwell 1965 Funny Girl – Bob Merrill e Jule Styne Fiddler on the Roof – Jerry Bock e Sheldon Harnick High Spirits – Hugh Martin e Timothy Gray Hello, Dolly! – Jerry Herman What Makes Sammy Run? – Ervin Drake 1966 On a Clear Day You Can See Forever – Alan J. Lerner e Burton Lane Bajour – Walter Marks Baker Street – Marian Grudeff e Raymond Jessell Do I Hear a Waltz? – Richard Rodgers e Stephen Sondheim Half a Sixpence – David Heneker 1967 Mame – Jerry Herman The Apple Tree – Jerry Bock e Sheldon Harnick Man of La Mancha – Mitch Leigh e Joe Darion Skyscraper – Jimmy Van Heusen e Sammy Cahn Sweet Charity – Cy Coleman e Dorothy Fields 1968 Cabaret – John Kander e Fred Ebb Hallelujah, Baby! – Jule Styne, Betty Comden e Adolph Green; Goddard Lieberson I Do! I Do! – Harvey Schmidt e Tom Jones Walking Happy – Sammy Cahn e Jimmy Van Heusen You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown – Clark Gesner 1969 Hair – Galt MacDermot, Gerome Ragni e James Rado; Andy Wiswell George M! – George M. Cohan The Happy Time – Fred Ebb e John Kander Jacques Brel Is Alive and Well and Living in Paris – Jacques Brel Your Own Thing – Hal Hester e Danny Apolinar
1970 1970 Promises, Promises – Burt Bacharach e Hal David; Henry Jerome e Phil Ramone 1776 – Sherman Edwards Dames at Sea – George Haimsohn, Rubin Miller, Jim J. Wise Oh! Calcutta! – Robert Dennis, Stanley Walden, Peter Schickele Zorba – John Kander e Fred Ebb 1971 Company – Stephen Sondheim; Thomas Z. Shepard Applause – Charles Strouse e Lee Adams Coco – Alan Jay Lerner e André Previn Joy – Oscar Brown, Jr., Jean Pace e Sivuca Purlie – Gary Geld e Peter Udell 1972 Godspell – Stephen Schwartz Follies – Stephen Sondheim The Rothschilds – Jerry Bock e Sheldon Harnick Touch – Kenn Long e Jim Crozier Two by Two – Richard Rodgers e Martin Charnin 1973 Don't Bother Me, I Can't Cope – Micki Grant; Jerry Ragavoy Ain't Supposed to Die a Natural Death– Melvin Van Peebles Grease – Warren Casey e Jim Jacobs Sugar – Jule Styne e Bob Merrill Two Gentlemen of Verona – John Guare e Galt MacDermot 1974 A Little Night Music – Stephen Sondheim; Goddard Lieberson Cyrano – Anthony Burgess e Michael J. Lewis The Man from the East – Stomu Yamashita Pippin – Stephen Schwartz Seesaw – Cy Coleman e Dorothy Fields 1975 Raisin – Judd Woldin e Robert Brittan; Thomas Z. Shepard Let My People Come – Earl Wilson Jr.; Phil Oesterman Over Here! – Richard M. Shermane Robert B. Sherman The Magic Show – Stephen Schwartz The Rocky Horror Show – Richard O'Brien 1976 The Wiz – Charlie Smalls; Jerry Wexler Chicago – John Kander e Fred Ebb A Chorus Line – Marvin Hamlisch A Little Night Music– Stephen Sondheim Shenandoah – Gary Geld e Peter Udell 1977 Bubbling Brown Sugar – Hugo Peretti e Luigi Creatore My Fair Lady Pacific Overtures Rex Side by Side by Sondheim – Stephen Sondheim 1978 Annie – Charles Strouse e Martin Charnin; Charles Strouse e Larry Morton Guys and Dolls I Love My Wife Starting Here, Starting Now Your Arms Too Short to Box with God 1979 Ain't Misbehavin' – Thomas Z. Shepard Beatlemania The BestAin't Misbehavin' Little Whorehouse in Texas The King and I On the Twentieth Century
1980 1980 Sweeney Todd – Stephen Sondheim; Thomas Z. Shepard Ballroom The Grand Tour I'm Getting My Act Together and Taking It on the Road They're Playing Our Song 1981 Evita – Andrew Lloyd Webber e Tim Rice Barnum A Day in Hollywood / A Night in the Ukraine Oklahoma! One Mo' Time 1982 Lena Horne: The Lady and Her Music – Quincy Jones 42nd Street The Pirates of Penzance Sophisticated Ladies Woman of the Year 1983 Dreamgirls Cats (Original London Cast Recording) – Andrew Lloyd Webber e T. S. Eliot Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamboat Merrily We Roll Along Nine 1984 Cats (Original Broadway Cast Recording) – Andrew Lloyd Webber La Cage aux Folles La piccola bottega degli orrori On Your Toes Zorba 1985 Sunday in the Park with George – Stephen Sondheim; Thomas Z. Shepard Doonesbury My One and Only A Stephen Sondheim Evening Sugar Babies 1986 West Side Story – John McClure Big River: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Leader of the Pack The Tap Dance Kid Very Warm for May 1987 Follies in Concert – Thomas Z. Shepard Me and My Girl The Mystery of Edwin Drood Song and Dance Sweet Charity 1988 Les Misérables (Original Broadway Cast Recording) – Claude-Michel Schönberg e Herbert Kretzmer; Alain Boublil e Claude-Michel Schonberg Me and My Girl My Fair Lady The Phantom of the Opera South Pacific 1989 Into the Woods – Stephen Sondheim; Jay David Saks Anything Goes Chess Of Thee I Sing/Let 'Em Eat Cake Show Boat
1990 1990 Jerome Robbins' Broadway – Jay David Saks Aspects of Love Broadway the Hard Way – Frank Zappa Sarafina! Pacific Overtures 1991 Les Misérables: The Complete Symphonic Recording – David Caddick Anything Goes Black and Blue City of Angels Gypsy 1992 The Will Rogers Follies – Cy Coleman, Betty Comden e Adolph Green; Mike Berniker Assassins Into the Woods Kiss Me, Kate The Music Man 1993 Guys and Dolls - The New Broadway Cast Recording – Jay David Saks Crazy for You Jelly's Last Jam The King and I The Secret Garden 1994 The Who's Tommy – Pete Townshend; George Martin On the Town Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat Kiss of the Spider Woman Sondheim: A Celebration at Carnegie Hall 1995 Passion – Stephen Sondheim; Phil Ramone Beauty and the Beast Carousel Crazy for You Sunset Boulevard 1996 Smokey Joe's Cafe: The Songs of Leiber and Stoller – Arif Mardin, Jerry Leiber e Mike Stoller Anyone Can Whistle: Live at Carnegie Hall Hello, Dolly! How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying Kiss of the Spider Woman 1997 Riverdance – Bill Whelan Bring in 'da Noise, Bring in 'da Funk A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (1996 Broadway Cast) Rent Victor/Victoria 1998 Chicago (1996 Broadway Revival Cast) – Jay David Saks Jekyll and Hyde – Karl Richardson e Frank Wildhorn The Life – Cy Coleman e Ira Gasman; Mike Berniker Ragtime (1996 Concept Album) – Stephen Flaherty e Lynn Ahrens; Jay David Saks Titanic – Maury Yeston; Tommy Krasker e Maury Yeston 1999 The Lion King – Mark Mancina Cabaret (New Broadway Cast) – Jay David Saks Chicago (1998 London Cast) – Thomas Z. Shepard Ragtime (1998 Original Broadway Cast) – Jay David Saks The Wizard of Oz (1998 Cast Recording) – Robert Sher
2000 2000 Annie Get Your Gun (The New Broadway Cast) – John McDaniel e Stephen Ferrera Footloose – Tommy Krasker e Tom Snow Fosse – Jay David Saks Hedwig and the Angry Inch (Original Cast) – Stephen Trask; Brad Wood You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown (The New Broadway Cast) – Andrew Lippa 2001 Elton John and Tim Rice's Aida – Elton John e Tim Rice; Chris Montan, Frank Filipetti, Guy Babylon e Paul Bogaev; Frank Filipetti Kiss Me, Kate (New Broadway Cast) – Hugh Fordin, Paul Gemignani e Don Sebesky The Music Man (New Broadway Cast) – Hugh Fordin Swing! – Steven Epstein The Wild Party – John LaChiusa; Phil Ramone 2002 The Producers – Mel Brooks; Hugh Fording; Cynthia Daniels The Full Monty: The Broadway Musical – David Yazbek; Billy Straus, David Yazbek e Ted Sperling Mamma Mia! The Musical – Benny Andersson e Bjorn Ulvaeus; Nicholas Gilpin e Martin Koch Seussical the Musical – Stephen Flaherty, Lynn Aherns e Dr. Seuss; Phil Ramone Sweeney Todd: Live at the New York Philharmonic – Stephen Sondheim; Tommy Krasker e Lawrence L. Rock 2003 Hairspray – Marc Shaiman e Scott Wittman; Pete Karam Elaine Stritch at Liberty – Hugh Fordin Guys and Dolls (50th Anniversary Cast) – Hugh Fordin Into the Woods (2002 Broadway Revival Cast) – Steven Epstein Thoroughly Modern Millie – Jeanine Tesori e Dick Scanlan; Jay David Saks 2004 Gypsy: A Musical Fable – Jay David Saks; Ken Hahn, Todd Whitelock e Tom Lazarus Flower Drum Song Man of La Mancha Movin' Out Nine 2005 Wicked – Stephen Schwartz; Frank Filipetti Assassins Avenue Q: The Musical The Boy from Oz Wonderful Town 2006 Monty Python's Spamalot – John Du Prez e Eric Idle; Frank Filipetti Dirty Rotten Scoundrels Hair The Light in the Piazza The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee 2007 Jersey Boys – Robert Gaudio; Pete Karam The Color Purple The Drowsy Chaperone The Pajama Game Sweeney Todd 2008 Spring Awakening – Duncan Sheik e Steven Sater; Michael Tudor A Chorus Line Company Grey Gardens West Side Story 2009 In the Heights – Lin-Manuel Miranda; Alex Lacamoire, Andres Levin, Bill Sherman, Joel W. Moss e Kurt Deutsch; Joel W. Moss e Tim Latham Gypsy The Little Mermaid South Pacific Young Frankenstein: The Musical
2010 2010 West Side Story – David Caddick e David Lai; Todd Whitelock