1995–2001: Early career After touring in the role of
Sandy Dumbrowski in the musical
Grease throughout 1995, Foster transferred to the Broadway production in 1996. She left to appear in the
ensemble of the Broadway musical
The Scarlet Pimpernel in 1997, and after that closed she returned as the Star to Be in the revival of
Annie. In 1998, Foster appeared in
What the World Needs Now at the
Old Globe Theatre, before she began touring with
Les Misérables as
Eponine Thenardier. She then understudied the same role on Broadway in 2000. Foster left
Les Misérables to join the ensemble of
Thoroughly Modern Millie in its pre-Broadway run at the
La Jolla Playhouse. Original leading lady
Kristin Chenoweth landed a television series shortly after rehearsals began and was replaced with
Erin Dilly as Millie and Foster as her understudy. After apparent clashes between the creative team, a "mutual" decision was made for Dilly to leave the production. With only nine days remaining before the first preview, Foster took over the role of Millie Dilmount. During a hiatus (before
Millie was set to open on Broadway), Foster appeared in
Dorian at
Goodspeed Musicals,
The Three Musketeers at the
American Musical Theatre of San Jose, and
South Pacific at the
Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera.
2002–2010: Breakthrough and stage success Thoroughly Modern Millie finally opened on Broadway at the
Marquis Theatre in 2002, to positive reviews.
The New York Daily News reviewer said: "newcomer Sutton Foster, who has the pert look, the silver voice and the dazzling legwork to make an extraordinarily winning Millie."
Clive Barnes, reviewing for the
New York Post wrote "Newcomer Sutton Foster's own star turn as Millie is perfectly charming, but as a star she doesn't twinkle, glitter or light up Broadway like a Christmas tree defying a July noon. But she has a good voice and is cutely agreeable." The
Newsday reviewer wrote: "She has a smile that may remind you of
Mary Tyler Moore, the gawky comic precision of the young
Carol Burnett, the lyricism of a romantic heroine and a smallish but vibrant voice as accurate as it is expressive. As [Millie], another of New York's prototypical small-town girls with big-city dreams, [Sutton Foster] appears unfazed by the burden of a character created onscreen by
Julie Andrews. The newcomer takes the big stage with an uninhibited what-the-heck comfort level and the discipline to go with her instincts."
Time Magazine wrote: "she's [Sutton Foster] got the full package: girlish gawkiness and Broadway brass, the legs and the lungs. Foster is a big reason the show is just about the cutest thing to hit Broadway since Annie's dimples, with perkily retro songs by Jeanine Tesori and clever staging by director
Michael Mayer..." Foster went on to win the 2002
Tony Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical, the
Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical, and the
Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical for her performance. During the run, Foster appeared in concert versions of
Chess and
Funny Girl, before leaving in 2004. Upon leaving, Foster did a concert version of
Snoopy! The Musical and returned to the
Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera for a production of
Me and My Girl to wrap up the year. In May 2005, Foster co-starred as Jo March opposite
Maureen McGovern as Marmee in the
musical adaptation of
Louisa May Alcott's classic novel
Little Women, for which she was nominated for her second Tony Award. The production closed after just a few months. She returned to Broadway at the Marquis Theatre in May 2006 in
The Drowsy Chaperone, a
spoof of 1920s musicals. She played Janet van de Graaff, a famous Broadway starlet who opts to forgo a stage career in favor of married life. The musical had a pre-Broadway run at the Ahmanson Theatre, Los Angeles in November to December 2005. Her performance earned her a third Tony nomination. Foster left the musical in 2007 and co-starred in
Mel Brooks' musical adaptation of his film
Young Frankenstein as the yodeling fräulein Inga, first at the
Paramount Theatre and then on Broadway from October 2007 to July 2008. In 2007, Foster guest-starred on the children's musical puppet show
Johnny and the Sprites and in a three-episode
story arc on the
HBO sitcom
Flight of the Conchords. She left the show to play Princess Fiona in
Shrek the Musical, which opened on Broadway on December 14, 2008. For this role, Foster won her second
Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical and was nominated for her fourth Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical. She played her final performance on January 3, 2010, when the show closed on Broadway. Foster participated in a reading of a work-in-progress new musical,
Bonnie and Clyde: A Folktale, in June 2009. Her brother, Hunter is writing the music for this musical. Foster's debut solo album
Wish was released by
Ghostlight Records in February 2009. The songs range from jazz to pop to cabaret to Broadway. In 2010, Foster promoted the album with concert performances in
Boston,
New York City,
Chicago, the
Orange County Performing Arts Center in
Orange County, California, and
Washington, D.C. Foster starred as Nurse Fay Apple in the
New York City Center's
Encores! production of
Anyone Can Whistle, which played from April 8 to 11, 2010. Foster made her
Off-Broadway debut in
Paul Weitz's comedy
Trust with
Zach Braff,
Bobby Cannavale and
Ari Graynor which began previews July 23, 2010, with an official opening August 12, running through September 12, 2010, at
Second Stage Theatre. Foster and
Seth Rudetsky participated in the one night only
Actors Fund benefit concert version of ''
They're Playing Our Song'' on August 30, 2010, at the Gerald W. Lynch Theater,
John Jay College, New York. The full cast included Efé, Kaitlyn Davidson, Alex Ellis, Maynard, Matt Loehr, and Jesse Nager, and was directed by Denis Jones. Foster taught a Spring Semester master class at
New York University's
Tisch School of the Arts Undergraduate Department of Drama, beginning in January 2010. It culminated in a cabaret performance at
Joe's Pub in May titled "From Rodgers To Heart". She taught the master class again in Fall Semester 2010, culminating in another performance at Joe's Pub, "Crazy for Gershwin". Both were musically directed by Deborah Abramson. She is now on the faculty of NYU's New Studio on Broadway. Foster taught a week-long
master class session at
Ball State University (Muncie, IN) in January 2010. Foster performed at the
33rd Annual Kennedy Center Honors in a tribute to
Jerry Herman, singing "
Before the Parade Passes By." She performed at the Kennedy Center Honors the following year in a tribute to
Barbara Cook. She made a third appearance at the Kennedy Center Honors in 2013, performing for the tribute to
Shirley MacLaine. Foster performed a concert tour,
An Evening With Sutton Foster from September 2010 to May 2011, performing songs from both her Broadway career and her solo album.
2011–2014: Anything Goes and branching out Foster played Reno Sweeney in the Broadway revival of
Anything Goes, which began performances on March 10, 2011, at the
Stephen Sondheim Theatre and officially opened on April 7, 2011. Foster won her third
Outer Critics Circle Award and second
Drama Desk Award and
Tony Award for her performance. Foster's final performance was on March 11, 2012, when she was replaced by
Stephanie J. Block. Foster left to film the television comedy-drama
Bunheads, which premiered on ABC Family on June 11, 2012. Foster played the lead role in this short-lived 2012
ABC Family drama, developed by
Amy Sherman-Palladino, the creator of
Gilmore Girls. She played former Las Vegas showgirl Michelle, who impulsively marries a man, moves to his small town, and begins teaching ballet lessons at her new mother-in-law's dance studio. She won the
Gracie Award and received a nomination at the
3rd Critics' Choice Television Awards for Best Actress in a Comedy Series. The series was cancelled after a single season. In the spring of 2012, she returned to Ball State, teaching classes, mentoring the interdisciplinary team that wrote the musical
The Circus in Winter, and co-directing the Department of Theatre and Dance's Spring 2012 production of
The Drowsy Chaperone; she also spoke at commencement and received an
Honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts degree for her continued engagement with Ball State students. Foster continued her relationship with Ball State in October 2012, performing in the staged reading of
The Circus in Winter at the National Alliance for Musical Theatre's Festival of New Musicals at
New World Stages in New York. In 2013, Foster guest starred in an episode of
Psych and starred as Kerry in actor
James Roday's comedic thriller
Gravy. In 2014, she appeared opposite
Robin Williams in the comedy
The Angriest Man in Brooklyn. Foster received her sixth Tony Award nomination for her performance.
2015–present: Younger, London debut, and Broadway return She made her Carnegie Hall debut in April 2015, with guest appearances from
Joshua Henry and
Megan McGinnis. This was part of a new tour effort
An Evening With Sutton Foster: Broadway In Concert, which continued through 2016. She returned to Encores! in July 2015 to play Queenie in
Andrew Lippa's
The Wild Party. She later was cast as the lead character of Liza Miller in the
TV Land single-camera comedy-drama pilot
Younger, created by
Darren Star. It was originally set to be released January 13, 2015, but she stated on January 31 in an interview at TETA TheatreFest 2015 in Houston, Texas that the release was delayed. The series premiered on March 31, 2015, and was renewed for a second season, which began airing in January 2016, shortly after it was renewed for a third season, set for a release at the end of the year. In July 2016, season three began filming, and the series was renewed for a fourth season. Season three aired to positive reviews in late 2016, and season 4 aired in summer 2017 with further positive reviews. In 2016, she starred opposite
Aaron Tveit and
Betty Buckley in the
Stephen Schwartz revue
Defying Gravity in
Australia. She appeared in the Off-Broadway revival of
Sweet Charity as Charity Hope Valentine at the Pershing Square Signature Center from November 2, 2016 (previews) to January 8, 2017. Also in 2016, Foster played the role of Violet in the miniseries
Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life opposite her ex-husband, Christian Borle. The two perform a musical within the Summer episode about the history of Stars Hollow. She appeared on the game show
Match Game, broadcast on
ABC in June 2016. She also made guest appearances on
The Good Wife and
Mad Dogs. In 2017, she once again returned to Ball State, this time to co-direct the Department of Theatre and Dance's Spring production of
Shrek: The Musical. During December 2017, she performed as a guest artist for the
Mormon Tabernacle Choir's annual Christmas concerts. In December 2017, Foster and
Jonathan Groff performed a selection of songs from many shows at The Appel Room at Lincoln Center; this concert, which also featured
Megan McGinnis and Darcie Roberts, aired on PBS's "Live From Lincoln Center" on April 20, 2018. From July through October 2021, Foster made her
London theatre debut reprising her role as Reno Sweeney in
Anything Goes at the
Barbican Theatre, earning rave reviews from British critics. For her performance, Foster was nominated for the
Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical. The production was broadcast in UK cinemas on 28 November and 1 December 2021. The recorded performance also played at US cinemas on March 27 and 30, 2022, and later aired on the PBS series
Great Performances. In October 2021, Foster published a memoir,
Hooked, in which she opens up about how she used crafts, specifically cross-stitching, collaging and crocheting, to get through significantly challenging milestones in her life. She shares how using crafts as creative outlets helped her deal with painful experiences in her life and remain present and resilient. In 2019, she crocheted an octopus toilet paper cover for
Younger costar
Hilary Duff's wedding. In December 2021, she returned to Broadway, starring as Marian Paroo opposite
Hugh Jackman as Harold Hill in a revival of
The Music Man. For her performance, Foster received her seventh nomination for the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical and also won the
Drama League Award for Distinguished Performance. The production played its final performance on January 15, 2023. As of March 2023, she is currently on the faculty of Ball State University as an instructor of theatre, focusing on internships. In February 2024, she replaced
Annaleigh Ashford in the Broadway revival of
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street as
Mrs. Lovett. She starred in the production for a 12-week limited engagement opposite
Aaron Tveit as Todd. Foster starred as Princess Winnifred in a concert production of
Once Upon a Mattress as part of the
New York City Center Encores! series. In May 2024, it was announced that the production would transfer to Broadway's
Hudson Theatre for a limited engagement lasting from July through November with an additional four-week engagement playing at the
Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles in December. Foster's performance earned her a nomination for the
Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Lead Performance in a Musical. She is currently set to star in a stage musical adaptation of
''Coal Miner's Daughter''. ==Personal life==