Eden Erica Espinosa (born February 2, 1978 in Anaheim, California) is an American singer and stage actress, who is best known for her performances as Elphaba for the Broadway, Los Angeles and San Francisco productions of the musical Wicked.

Of Mexican descent, Eden Espinosa began singing at the age of three, performing at age five, and recording at the age of ten. At Canyon High School, she played the role of Maria in West Side Story. After graduating, Eden worked at local theme parks such as Disneyland and Universal Studios. Eden was also part of the successful performing group The Young Americans, which is based in southern California and performs in front of audiences worldwide.

Eden made her Broadway debut as a member of the Original Broadway Cast of Stephen Schwartz's musical Wicked, which opened on October 30, 2003. She originated the position of standby for Idina Menzel in the lead role of Elphaba. She was also an understudy for the role of Nessarose. Espinosa performed the lead role of Elphaba for a month continuously during the Summer of 2004, while Menzel was filming Ask the Dust. Espinosa left Wicked on September 5, 2004, to originate the lead for the Broadway debut of Brooklyn.

Megan Kathleen Hilty (born March 29, 1981) is an American stage and television actress. She rose to prominence for her roles in several Broadway musicals including her performance as Glinda in Wicked and her portrayal of Doralee Rhodes in 9 to 5: The Musical. She is currently starring as Ivy Lynn on the television series Smash, which has just concluded its first season on NBC.

Hilty was born in Bellevue, Washington and is the daughter of Jack and Donna Hilty. She began taking vocal lessons at the age of 12. She attended Sammamish High School in Bellevue and the Washington Academy of Performing Arts Conservatory High School in Redmond, Washington. In 2004, she graduated from the Carnegie Mellon School of Drama and is a member of Actors' Equity. She is a recipient of the National Society of Arts and Letters Award for Excellence in Musical Theater. Her regional credits include productions of Café Puttanesca, Suds, and Michael John La Chiusa's The Wild Party.

Shortly before graduating from Carnegie Mellon University, Hilty auditioned for the hit musical Wicked. She moved to New York City after graduating and, in August 2004, she made her Broadway debut in the show as the standby for Glinda. She replaced original standby Laura Bell Bundy, whom got fired from the show due to a bad commitment to the entire company. Hilty took over the lead role from Jennifer Laura Thompson on May 31, 2005. After playing the role for a year, Hilty ended her run on May 28, 2006 and was succeeded by Kate Reinders.

Karen Olivo (born August 7, 1976) is an American stage and television actress, who is known for originating the role of Vanessa in the Tony Award–winning musical In the Heights both on and off Broadway. She won her Tony Award for her performance as Anita (2009–2010) in the revival of West Side Story. She is the first and only actor to win a Tony for a performance in West Side Story.

Olivo is of Dominican, Puerto Rican, Native American, and Chinese descent. She was born in New York City and raised in Bartow, Florida. She attended the Lois Cowles Harrison Center for the Visual and Performing Arts in nearby Lakeland, Florida, and later the University of Cincinnati – College-Conservatory of Music. Olivo is married to Matt Caplan, who is currently in the production of Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark.

In 2009, Olivo received her first Tony Award for her performance as Anita in the Broadway revival of West Side Story. She was also nominated for both a Drama Desk and an Outer Critic's Circle Award for her critically acclaimed performance as Anita. She earned her second Astaire Award nomination for Best Female Dancer for her performance in West Side Story, after previously winning the same award in 2008 for her performance in In the Heights. She was contracted with West Side Story at the Palace through 2010. During the May 8, 2010 matinee performance of West Side Story, Olivo broke her foot. Anita standby Natalie Cortez performed the role until the show's closure. Olivo took part in the world premiere of "By The Way, Meet Vera Stark" at Off-Broadway's Second Stage Theatre. Written by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Lynn Nottage, the play "draws upon the screwball films of the 1930s to take a funny and irreverent look at racial stereotypes in Hollywood."

Shoshana Elise Bean (born September 1, 1977) is an American stage actress, singer and songwriter known for her roles in Broadway musicals. She is best known for playing Elphaba on Broadway in the musical Wicked.

Bean was raised in Portland, Oregon. She is a graduate of the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM), where she received a B.F.A. in Musical Theatre in 1999. At CCM she was roommates with Kristy Cates, a fellow Wicked alum.

Shortly after moving to New York City, she was cast in the 2000 Off-Broadway revival of Godspell. Bean subsequently performed in the national tour of Leader of the Pack. She was also an original cast member in the Tony Award-winning production of Broadway's Hairspray, originating the role of Shelley and understudying the roles of Tracy Turnblad, Velma Von Tussle, and Prudy Pingleton. During this time she was also a member of the Broadway Inspirational Voices Gospel Choir.

In 2001, she sang back-up for Michael Jackson's 30th anniversary concert celebration at Madison Square Garden.

Tracie Nicole Thoms (born August 19, 1975) is an American television, film, and stage actress. She is best known for her roles in Rent, Cold Case, The Devil Wears Prada, Death Proof, and the short-lived Fox television series Wonderfalls.

Thoms was born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland, the daughter of Mariana and Donald H. Thoms. She has a younger brother, Austin. She started studying acting when she was ten and later on attended the Baltimore School for the Arts.

She earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Howard University in 1997. She then attended the Juilliard School's Drama Division as a member of Group 30 (1997–2001), which also included actors Lee Pace and Anthony Mackie.

Thoms is known for her role of Mahandra McGinty in the television show Wonderfalls. She also played the part of Sasha in the US version of the T.V. series As If, which was cancelled after three episodes. Most recently she has been added to the cast of the CBS crime drama Cold Case, as the homicide detective, Kat Miller. Thoms has also made guest appearances on Law & Order and The Shield.