When you share a conversation with celebrated actor, singer and voiceover artist—Megan Hilty—you can’t help but feel, as she put it once, “an infusion of joy.”
Known for a string of television, theater and animation credits, Megan is bringing her cabaret show to the Cox Performing Arts Center this month for an evening of Broadway and holiday classics you won’t want to miss. In fact, her act is the highly anticipated finale to the December lineup of the 2023/2024 Celebrity Concert Series presented locally by Utah Tech Live.
Among the attributes that make Megan a standout are her versatility across a diverse repertoire of varying musical styles, the warmth and richness of her tone, the power and strength of her vibrato, and the dynamic rapport she develops with her audience.
“It’s something I wanted to do from an early age,” says Megan, “I was always vocalizing and singing things.” In time, her mother Donna had the thought to “funnel this into something,” which she did.
Megan’s first music lessons were in the classical vocal tradition and soon included competitions, which she describes as excellent practice for demonstrating technique. With the formal training and lessons in classical decorum, Megan explains things snowballed from there.
“It wasn’t a matter of ‘if’ but ‘how’—I just knew that I needed to be a part of the performing arts.”
What occurred next was somewhat unconventional. Again, owing to her mother’s influence, Megan experienced the “gap years,” taking time off between her high school and collegiate studies to discover if a career in entertainment was what she really wanted.
“I had two years to really think about it,” the veteran entertainer recounts. During that time she involved herself in community theater productions and gained the experience and insight needed to chart her next steps. In selecting that next training ground, Megan sought a university-level musical theater program that put acting first, not music. Her rationale?
“At the end of the day, we’re all just telling a story, whether dancing, singing or acting,” Megan asserts, and she has mastered the art of story, as evidenced by notable honors that include a Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actress in a Play for her role in “Noises Off,” and the National Society of Arts and Letters Award for Excellence in Musical Theater, among others.
Megan ultimately attended Carnegie Mellon University, majoring in musical theater—a double-major, comprising drama, music, dancing and cabaret. Because of her gap year experience and deliberate planning, Megan says, “Once I got to Carnegie Mellon, I had learned how to take care of myself, do my own laundry and really buckle down.”
Her strategy paid dividends.
Megan’s big break occurred just before graduation during the student senior showcase. Following her commanding performance, talent recruiters from the Broadway production of “Wicked” informed Megan of their plan to put her in the show, “somehow.” Her offer came as a backup to Jennifer Laura Thompson in the role of Glinda the Good Witch, originally developed by Kristin Chenoweth. Nine months later, the role was Megan’s, and she stayed with the company for the next four and half years.
Adding to the rewards associated with this hard-earned opportunity, Megan was part of the national tour with a stop in Seattle, Washington, about 10 miles from her hometown of Bellevue. Her beloved childhood music teacher, Merry Kimble, aged and blind, was in the audience. Originally skeptical of Megan’s bridge away from classical music, Merry was won over by her performance.
“If this is what musical theater is, you have my blessing,” Merry stated.
From there, Megan went on to develop and star in two subsequent theater productions, the role of Doralee Rhodes in “9 to 5 The Musical,” and Brooke Ashton in “Noises Off.” Television credits eventually included Patsy Cline in “Patsy and Loretta” and others. She gained particular notoriety in her role as Ivy Lynn in the NBC musical drama, “Smash.” Locally and to public television audiences, she is also known for her 2021 televised performance with Neal McDonough from Salt Lake City in "O Holy Night: Christmas with The Tabernacle Choir."
Although Megan has moved across the country eight times, this December will mark her first trip to St. George, traveling with band members including husband, guitarist and vocalist Brian Gallagher; Grammy-nominated writer, producer, pianist and vocalist Matt Cusson; bassist Dennis Michael Keeth; and drummer Jack DeBoe.
“My band is amazing. We’re best friends, and I am touring with my husband,” says Megan. “It’s so joyful for us, we just really genuinely love performing together!”
As for the show, says Megan, “If the audience feels like they’ve gotten to know me, the real me—outside of the characters I play—that’s a success.”
An Evening with Megan Hilty takes place Friday, December 22, at 7:30 p.m. at the Cox Performing Arts Center, 325 South 700 East, St. George. For tickets, visit utlive.org.
“It wasn’t a matter of ‘if’ but ‘how’—I just knew that I needed to be a part of the performing arts.”
“If the audience feels like they’ve gotten to know me, the real me—outside of the characters I play—that’s a success.”
