Beth Malone

Malone played the Angel at certain performances in the Broadway revival of Tony Kushner's play Angels in America at the Neil Simon Theatre. Transferring from London's National Theatre, the production was directed by Marianne Elliott and stars Andrew Garfield as Prior Walter and Nathan Lane as Roy Cohn. The limited engagement began previews on February 23, opened on March 25, and closed on July 15, 2018.

Malone originated the role of (Big) Alison in the musical Fun Home, from workshops, to the 2013 Off-Broadway production at the Public Theater. She continued the role in the 2015 Broadway production at the Circle in the Square Theatre, which concluded its Broadway engagement on September 10, 2016. Critic Steven Suskin called her performance "the glue that holds the show together." She received a nomination for the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her performance. Although Beth has found success on stage and on the screen, her role in Fun Home was one of the first times she was able to portray a character who identified as homosexual.

She played the title role in The Unsinkable Molly Brown at The Denver Center Theatre Company in September and October 2014. She played the role of "Molly Brown" in The MUNY (St. Louis, Missouri) production of The Unsinkable Molly Brown in July 2017. The musical was directed and choreographed by Kathleen Marshall. Gossip columnist Michael Riedel speculated that The Unsinkable Molly Brown would be revived on Broadway, with Malone in the lead. She played the lead in an industry reading in November 2017 at the Roundabout Theatre Company. "A representative for Roundabout Theatre Company told Playbill there are currently no plans for a future production of the musical."

Malone has created a one-woman cabaret show titled Beth Malone: So Far. The show tells her life story, "from her offbeat childhood in small-town Colorado, to her not-quite-normal entrance into acting, to her left-of-center adult life." She has toured with the show in several locations, including Aspen, Colorado, at the Wheeler Opera House in 2011, and in New York City in 2012 at the Davenport Theatre. See section 4 for more information.

In 2011, Beth Malone started to perform her one-woman show, titled Beth Malone: So Far. Malone describes this production as an “autobiographical tale about what it was like for [her] to be a rural lesbian in the ‘70s.” This one-hour production takes the audience on a journey through her teenage years and young adulthood. Malone pegs herself as “part dude, part lady… all lesbian.” This musical cabaret depicts Malone's life, yet she is careful to make sure that her performance avoids the coming-out cliche. Instead, So Far is a coming-of-age story, which highlights her relationship with her father and how their relationship changed when she came out. Although there are several emotional and “heart-wrenching” moments in the show, Malone's presentation is inherently comedic, and she incorporates humor throughout her concert. Malone has continued to develop and craft So Far over the years, and she still performs her cabaret throughout the country.

Malone released her first solo album in 2008, and it is available on iTunes and Spotify.

Malone made her Broadway debut in Ring of Fire in 2006. She appeared Off-Broadway in the musical Bingo: A Winning New Musical at St. Luke's Theatre in 2005. She appeared Off-Broadway in The Marvelous Wonderettes at the Westside Theatre as Betty Jean in 2008. She played the title role in Annie Get Your Gun in the Music Circus at the Wells Fargo Pavilion, Sacramento, California in August 2011, and again at the San Diego Musical Theatre in May 2014.

She was born in Auburn, Nebraska and raised in Castle Rock, Colorado, the daughter of Peggy and Bill Malone. Her mother is a professional country music singer. Malone played the title role in Annie in middle school, and participated in theatre at Douglas County High School. Malone first attended Loretto Heights College for musical theatre. When the school closed in 1989 while she was there, she decided not to continue, because she was successful finding work without a degree. She later completed her degree through the University of Northern Colorado in 1996 and earned an MFA in Acting from UC Irvine in 2000.

Elizabeth Ann "Beth" Malone (born January 2, 1969) is an American actress and singer known for her work in Broadway, Off-Broadway and regional theatre. She originated the role of Alison Bechdel in the musical Fun Home, for which she was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical.