In 1993, she received Tony and Drama Desk Awards for Best Leading Actress in a Musical for her dual portrayal of Aurora and Spider Woman in the musical "Kiss of the Spider Woman", written by Kander and Ebb. Rivera later participated in the London edition of Kander and Ebb’s long-running revival of “Chicago,” this time in the role of Roxie Hart. Rivera starred in the Goodman Theatre production of the musical "The Visit" (also by Kander and Ebb) as Claire Zachanassian in 2001. In 2002, she became a Kennedy Center Honoree. In 2003, Rivera returned to Broadway in the 2003 revival of "Nine" as Liliane La Fleur and received her eighth career Tony Award nomination (Best Featured Actress in a Musical) and fourth Drama Desk Award nomination (Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical). She appeared with Antonio Banderas. She later appeared on the revival's cast album.