McClanahan made her Broadway debut as Hazel in The Secret Life of Walter Mitty in 1964. Her other Broadway credits include Jimmy Shine, Father's Day, Sticks and Bones and The Women. Her off-Broadway credits include the 1995 world premiere production of After-Play at Manhattan Theatre Club. McClanahan is best known for her role as Blanche Devereaux in television's The Golden Girls and later on Golden Palace. She was Emmy-nominated four times and won once for the role. Hilty currently serves as the standby for the role of Glinda and has performed in Wicked numerous times. Her regional theater credits include Café Puttanesca at Pittsburgh's City Theatre and Suds at Oregon Cabaret Theatre. Hilty is a graduate of Carnegie Mellon's theater program.

Wicked currently stars Shoshana Bean as Elphaba, Jennifer Laura Thompson as Glinda, George Hearn as The Wizard, Carole Shelley as Madame Morrible, David Ayers as Fiyero, Michelle Federer as Nessarose, William Youmans as Doctor Dillamond and Jeffrey Kuhn as Boq.