Over the course of her career, she has appeared in numerous Broadway productions and earned three Tony Award nominations for Best Actress in a Musical, for The Will Rogers Follies (1991), The Best Little Whorehouse Goes Public (1994), and Footloose (1999).

Her Broadway appearances include Shakespeare's Cabaret, The Five O'Clock Girl (Cora Wainwright), Me and My Girl (Jaqueline Carstone), City of Angels (Carla Haywood/Alaura Kingsley), The Will Rogers Follies (Betty Blake), The Best Little Whorehouse Goes Public (Mona Stangley), Footloose (Vi), and Mamma Mia!

[citation needed] Of these appearances, she received Tony Award nominations for Footloose!, The Best Little Whorehouse Goes Public and The Will Rogers Follies as Best Actress in a Musical.

[2] She received acclaim for the 1998 Paper Mill Playhouse (Milburn, New Jersey) production of Stephen Sondheim's Follies, playing the role of Phyllis Rogers Stone and recording a well-received cast album[3] The Variety reviewer wrote: "Analyzing her options in 'Could I Leave You?,' Hoty turns the song into a marital slice-and-dice triumph.

She has also appeared in several film and television productions including As the World Turns, Guiding Light, Models Inc., St.