BWW's 'Brush Up On Your TONY Nominees': Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role - Musical

Leading up to Broadway's biggest night, the 2015 TONY AWARDS, BWW brings you our 'Brush Up On Your TONY Nominees' Guide to this year's nominees in the top categories. Next up, the nominees for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical!

Don't forget to tune in to BroadwayWorld for Broadway's biggest night, the 69th Annual Tony Awards on CBS, hosted by Kristin Chenoweth and Alan Cumming. The stars will align at Radio City Music Hall on Sunday, June 7, 2015 and we'll be bringing you exclusive, live photos, videos and blogs of everything that's happening from the red carpet to the winners' room; the pre-show ceremony to the after parties. We'll be there for it all, and there's no better place for comprehensive coverage this Sunday than BroadwayWorld!

Click here for the full list of nominees!

Click here to brush up on the nominees for Best Actress in a Leading Role in a Play

Click here to brush up on the nominees for Best Revival of a Musical

Click here to brush up on the nominees for Best Revival of a Play

Click here to brush up on the nominees for Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Play

Click here to brush up on the nominees for Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical

Click here to brush up on the nominees for Best Play

Click here to brush up on the nominees for Best Musical

Nominees for BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE - MUSICAL:

On knowing she was meant to play the role: "We did the reading and I knew. Very rarely do parts come along where you go, I know that that's my part...If you go home and obsess about something, you're supposed to do it." [Backstage]

Previous awards and nominations for the role: Drama Desk Award WINNER - Outstanding Actress in a Musical; Outer Critic Circle Award WINNER - Outstandng Actress in a Musical; Drama League Distinguished Performance Award

Chenoweth's Broadway credits include You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown (Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle Awards); Steel Pier (Theatre World Award) Wicked;Promises, Promises; Epic Proportions; Scapin. Off-Broadway: A New Brain, Dames at Sea, The Fantasticks, On a Clear Day You Can See Forever and Strike Up the Band.

Film work includes The Boy Next Door, Strange Magic, Rio 2, A Bet's a Bet, Hard Sell, Bewitched, The Pink Panther, RV, Running With Scissors, Stranger Than Fiction, Deck the Halls, Four Christmases.

On TV she will soon be seen in Disney's "Descendants," and has starred in "Pushing Daisies" (Emmy Award), and guest appearances in "Glee," "The West Wing," "GCB," "The Good Wife," "12 Men of Christmas," "The Music Man," "Annie" and "Kristin."

An Oklahoma Hall of Famer, Chenoweth has performed her solo concerts across the globe at legendary venues, including Carnegie Hall, the Royal Albert Hall and Sydney Opera House. She holds honorary doctorate degrees from UNCSA and OCU.

Photo: Joan Marcus

Watch Chenoweth and the cast of ON THE TWENTIETH CENTURY perform a medley of songs on 'Today'

On transitioning from ballet to Broadway: "I feel lucky this role came about when it did; it's like the stars aligned. I feel very privileged to be taking this journey." [Washington Post]

Previous awards and nominations for the role: Drama Desk Award nomination - Outstanding Actress in a Musical; Outer Critic Circle Award nomination - Outstanding Actress in a Musical; Drama League Disntinguished Performance Award; Astaire Award Winner - Best Female Dancer

Cope trained at the Royal Ballet school and graduated into the company in 2003. She has created several roles for the company and has built a strong relationship with The Royal Ballets Artist in Resident Liam Scarlett who describes her as having 'a presence on stage like no other.'

Copes creations include Emily Dimmock and Annie E Crook (Sweet Violets) Gretel (Hansel and Gretel). Other repertoire with the company includes Clara (Nutcracker) Princess Louise (Mayerling) and many more. Leanne is excited to be making her Broadway debut and would not have achieved this without the support of her friends, family and husband.

Photo: Walter McBride

Watch Leanne Cope in AN AMERICAN IN PARIS below:

On working with Kander and Ebb and Terrence McNally: "We've done so many pieces together - so many wonderful pieces, that Freddie knows exactly how I speak; Terrence knows exactly how I feel, what words sound good in my mouth; and, of course, John Kander writes the most beautiful music you could possibly hope for." [THR]

Previous awards and nominations for the role: Drama Desk Award nomination - Outstanding Actress in a Musical; Outer Critic Circle Award nomination - Outstanding Actress in a Musical; Drama Distinguished Performance Award Winner

Rivera has won two TONY AWARDS and received eight additional Tony nominations. Her career highlights include starring roles in Bye Bye Birdie, The Rink (Tony Award), Chicago, Jerry's Girls, Kiss of the Spider Woman (Tony Award), The Dancer's Life, recent revivals of The Mystery of Edwin Drood andNine, and the original Broadway casts of Guys and Dolls, Can-Can, Seventh Heaven and Mr. Wonderful.

On tour she has starred in The Rose Tattoo, Call Me Madam, Sweet Charity, Zorba. She was awarded The Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Kennedy Center Honor. Her most treasured production is her daughter, singer/dancer/choreographer Lisa Mordente.

O'Hara's other LCT credits include South Pacific (Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle nominations), The Light in the Piazza (Tony, OCC noms.).

On Broadway she has appeared in The Bridges of Madison County (Tony, DD, Drama League, OCC noms.), Nice Work If You Can Get It (Tony, DD, DL, OCC, Fred Astaire Award noms.), The Pajama Game (Tony, DD, OCC noms.), Sweet Smell of Success, Follies, Dracula, Jekyll & Hyde.

Metropolitan Opera credits includeThe Merry Widow.Off-Broadway/concerts: My Fair Lady, Carousel (Avery Fisher Hall/NY Philharmonic); Far From Heaven, My Life With Albertine (Playwrights Horizons);King Lear (Public); Bells Are Ringing (Encores!).

Film work includes Sex and the City 2, Scorsese'sThe Key to Reserva. On TV she recently starred in NBC's "Peter Pan Live!," and has made guest appearances in "Blue Bloods," "Numb3rs," and "The Kennedy Center Honors."

Solo albums include Always, Wonder in the World(Ghostlight Records).

Watch highlights of Kelli O'Hara in THE KING AND I below:

Beth Malone: Alison in FUN HOME

On being nominated along with her two co-stars: "It feels very right that we're each nominated. ... You couldn't have built this show on stars. You needed ego-less people who wanted to work." [THR]

Malone has been part of Fun Home through most of its formative stages, including the Sundance Theatre Lab and the critically acclaimed run at The Public Theatre. Beth spent much of last year at The Denver Center, starring as Molly Brown in the world premiere of a wholly reimagined version of The Unsinkable Molly Brown, directed by Kathleen Marshall.

Other original Broadway and Off-Broadway credits include June Carter Cash in Ring of Fire, Betty Jean in The Marvelous Wonderettes, and Alison in Bingo!. Regional theatre appearances include 9 to 5, The Break Up Notebook, Annie Get Your Gun, LES MISERABLES, and the world premiere of Sister Act. Beth holds an MFA from UC Irvine.

Original Cast Recordings include Fun Home, Ring of Fire, The Marvelous Wonderettes, Bingo!.