Tony Winner Laura Benanti Joins Cast of CBS' SUPERGIRL Pilot

With a role on ABC's hit musical drama NASHVILLE, Tony winner Laura Benanti has lined up her next small screen project.

According to Deadline, Benanti has landed a recurring role on CBS' SUPERGIRL, also starring GLEE's Melissa Benoist. She will first appear in the show's pilot episode. SUPERGIRL has already been given a series commitment.

The stage veteran will take on the role of "Alura Zor-El, the birth mother of Kara (Melissa Benoist). A strong noblewoman, Alura sends Kara to Earth to escape Krypton's destruction. Her wisdom and guidance echoes across space and time, proving invaluable on Kara's journey toward becoming Supergirl."

From Warner Bros. TV and Berlanti Prods., the CBS pilot SUPERGIRL will be based on characters from DC Comics and will follow Kara Zor-El (Benoist), who comes to earth after escaping the destruction of Krypton. After many years hiding her abilities, she joins the ranks of her cousin Superman to become the hero she was meant to be.

The pilot was written by Ali Adler ("No Ordinary Family") and Greg Berlanti ("Arrow," "The Flash"). They will also executive produce along with Sarah Schechter and Warner Bros. TV. The project has a series commitment from CBS.

Benanti can currently be seen on the ABC musical drama series Nashville. Benanti can also be seen guest-starring on CBS's The Good Wifeand last year received rave reviews for her performance as Baroness Elsa Schrader in NBC's The Sound of Music Live! She starred in the NBC series The Playboy Club; Go On opposite Matthew Perry; and in the FX comedy series Starved.

On stage, Benanti received a Tony-Award for her portrayal of Gypsy Rose Lee opposite Patti Lupone in the 2008 Broadway revival of Gypsy directed by Arthur Laurents. She received three additional Tony-Award nominations for her performances in Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown,Into the Woods, and Swing.

Benanti completed a week-long engagement at the popular New York cabaret club, 54 Below, for which The New York Timeshailed her as an "supremely confident" performer whose "bright, full soprano, with its semioperatic heft, can go almost anywhere." In September 2013, she released her debut album, "In Constant Search of the Right Kind of Attention: Live at 54 BELOW" on Broadway Records to ecstatic reviews. Laura currently performs her cabaret concerts in venues around the country and even recently performed for the President and First Lady of the United States.