WATCH NOW! Zooming in on the Tony Nominees: Jessie Mueller

The Tony Awards are like Christmas in June for theatre lovers, and that makes this year's nominees the reason for the season. 2017-18 was a year or variety, as audiences cheered on Mean Girls, tall women, and fair ladies alike. Our travel destinations ranged from Bet Hatikva to Bikini Bottom; Arendelle to the Antilles. We've contemplated redemption with Billy, pondered pipe dreams with Hickey, and reexamined the past with Harry- all from the the comfort of a seat on the aisle.

This year's Tony nominees transported us with the magic of theatre, and we're saluting their work by taking a closer look at their extraordinary accomplishments. Today we're studying up on Jessie Mueller!

Quick Facts About Jessie:

Her Nomination: Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical

Up Against: Lauren Ambrose (My Fair Lady), Hailey Kilgore (Once On This Island), LaChanze (Summer: The Donna Summer Musical), Katrina Lenk (The Band's Visit), Taylor Louderman (Mean Girls)

Did You Know?: Jessie played Carrie Pipperidge opposite Kelli O'Hara in the New York Philharmonic's 2013 production of Carousel.

Photos by Walter McBride

Jessie on her first Broadway show: "[It was] not the most recent revival of Jesus Christ Superstar, but the one prior. And I was just... I had never seen anything like it before. Also, the sets and the production values... I was like, 'This is Broadway!'"

watch as Jessie tells us all about want this nomination means to her, how she's preparing for the Tonys, and so much more!