Dreher High grad lands role in ‘Hamilton’ on Broadway
A Columbia dancer has managed a feat harder than scoring “Hamilton” tickets: Landing a role in the Broadway show’s cast.
Zelig Williams, a 2014 graduate of Dreher High School, recently joined the ranks of the must-see musical about Alexander Hamilton and the founding fathers.
Williams first auditioned for “Hamilton” as a freshman at Pace University in New York. As a sophomore he was invited to a bootcamp for the show. Now a junior, he was called back for a final audition in September and told he made it into the ensemble.
“It was a dream. I was with my friends and started crying in the elevator,” he said of the moment he found out he was cast. “Usually ensembles come on in different parts, but for ‘Hamilton,’ the ensemble is on stage the whole time.”
Williams will make his Broadway debut Oct. 11.
And no, he can’t get you tickets.
“I wish I could get everyone a ticket, but they’re hard to get,” he said.
“Hamilton” tickets have gone for as high as $800 from second-party sellers. That’s because, as reviewers have noted, the show completely lives up to its hype.
It won 11 Tony Awards, including best musical, as well as the Pulitzer Prize for drama and a Grammy Award for best musical theater album.
“Hamilton” creator and star Lin-Manuel Miranda left the stage in July, but the show has expanded to a run in Chicago and will begin a separate national tour that stops in Charlotte in 2017.
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“It’s crazy to be a part of something so grand,” Williams said. “It’s history.”
Kathleen Lee, the dance director at Dreher High School, said she was not surprised her former star pupil made it to Broadway.
“He’s so tremendous in his ability and he’s the most humble person I know,” Lee said. “That’s one of the reasons I knew he would be successful.”
She added that his talent and spirit elevated the Dreher dance program while he was there.
“He’s hands down the best dancer I’ve had in my program and I’ve been teaching here for 15 years.”
Williams said his favorite part about “Hamilton” is the choreography by Andy Blankenbuehler. Propelled by rap, hip-hop and R&B music, the dancing is as intentional as the historical references in the script.
“It’s just little things that I love that keep me thinking while I’m dancing. With (Blankenbuehler’s) stuff, you really have to know what’s going on within the scene,” Williams said.
He is still a full-time student, on top of learning the show and attending rehearsals. He wants to dance in the hottest Broadway show on the market, and also graduate on time with his friends, he said.
“It’s still new to me. I don’t think it will hit me until I’m three months into the show.”
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This story was originally published September 28, 2016 at 2:37 PM with the headline "Dreher High grad lands role in ‘Hamilton’ on Broadway."