The musical debuted on Broadway in 2003. Hilty joined the cast in 2004 after graduating from the Carnegie Mellon School of Drama, taking over the role from Kristin Chenoweth. The Broadway production's success spawned productions in Chicago, Los Angeles, London's West End, Tokyo, and Stuttgart, along with a North American tour that has visited over 30 cities in Canada and the United States.
Hilty currently stars in the open-ended Los Angeles production at the Pantages Theatre, and will next go on to star as Doralee Rhodes in a musical based on the 1980s workplace comedy
Nine to Five.
Dolly Parton, who played the character of Doralee in the original film, has written music for the upcoming stage show, which will open in LA in fall of 2008. Hilty will co-star alongside
Wicked star
Stephanie J. Block, who will play Judy Bernly.
Off the stage, Hilty performed the singing voice of Snow White in
Shrek the Third and guest starred on the Disney Channel's
The Suite Life of Zack and Cody as Enid. She appeared in an episode of
Ugly Betty—"Something
Wicked this Way Comes"—as her
Wicked persona Glinda.