Joan chats with Nikisha Williams – the choir director and music teacher from Alabama who shines as Eliza in Broadway in Richmond’s HAMILTON at Altria Theater.
Actress Nikisha Williams always taught her choir students to go after their dreams, but she didn’t always allow herself to do the same.
“I had to take my own advice,” says Williams, who is starring as Eliza Hamilton in the mega musical Hamilton, playing Altria Theater from April 11 through April 23.
The show with book, music, and lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda is the story of America then, told by America now. The score, which blends hip-hop, jazz, R&B, and Broadway, has taken the story of American founding father Alexander Hamilton and created a revolutionary moment in theatre. It has won Tony, Grammys , and Olivier Awards, the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, and an unprecedented special citation from the Kennedy Center Honors.
Setting out for her own dream, Williams left her teaching job in Memphis and moved to New York to pursue her career. The next year, she auditioned for everything that came along and worked as a singing server at Ellen’s Stardust Diner, the world-famous multi-level diner.
Her break came when she auditioned for and landed a role in the national tour of The Color Purple.
“I was a swing. I understudied seven of the nine female roles in the show including the lead character,” she says.
After the tour ended, she got a role in Hamilton.
Whether she realized it or not, Williams had laid a solid foundation for her work on the show. In her hometown of Mobile, Alabama, she sang in the church choir and took piano lessons.
In high school, her choir teacher encouraged her to major in music. After getting her bachelor’s degree in vocal performance, she went on to earn her master’s degree in choral conducting from the University of Southern Mississippi.
She spent three years directing the choirs at White Station High School in Memphis.
“There is nothing like singing in an ensemble and finding a sound with various voices,” she says. “That’s what drew me to teaching. I had been singing in choir all through college. It was a no brainer being a choral teacher. I enjoy being able to give that opportunity to other kids.”
Williams found her own love of musical theater in high school. “I knew I always wanted to perform,” she says.
She trained classically in college and performed in many operas and musicals, including I Pagliacci, La Boheme, Smokey Joe’s Café, Sweeney Todd, and Ragtime. When she was in Memphis, she sang with the Memphis Opera Chorus and also performed in regional shows, including Memphis the Musical and Hairspray.
Williams started the Hamilton national tour in October 2018 and has been with the show ever since. She first appeared in the ensemble and understudied all three of the Schuyler sisters: Peggy, Angelica, and Eliza. She started playing Eliza full time in August 2022.
“I feel like Eliza is more of my personality type. She’s kind, lighthearted and likes to have fun,” Williams says. “She’s not afraid to speak her mind in her own right. Her journey throughout the show is beautiful to see. She is curious about figuring out New York and politics.”
Williams has not gone through the same trials and tribulations in life that Eliza did however she has gone through grief, loss, and heartache. She lets those experience inform her, but she doesn’t put any personal experiences into her performances.
“I am portraying someone else’s narrative. This is all through the eyes of Eliza. Every night I ask myself how can I tell Eliza’s story,” she says.
Williams feels what Eliza is feeling during the show, but after the show ends she is her own person with her own feelings. “When the show is done, I am back to me. I try to navigate that border very well,” she says.
She loves working with the actresses who play her sisters on stage. “We have such a good time on stage, and we have a good camaraderie offstage. We are always giggling and laughing,” she says.
While Williams studied and performs opera, her cultural upbringing is geared more toward rap and R&B — important facets of Hamilton, she says.
“It’s not hard to get into the mindset of those,” she says. “What was really challenging for me was doing opera in college. It’s not something I grew up with. It’s easier to do this show. It was an easy transition.”
Williams was teaching when the show first hit Broadway and was familiar with the words and lyrics when she auditioned. “I fell in love the soundtrack. I listened to it so much,” she says.
She had the opportunity to meet Lin-Manuel Miranda in Austin, Texas, when she was in the ensemble.
“He came in and threw a little party after the show. He was super-kind to everyone,” she says. “It was a nice experience to have him there.”
Hamilton helps bring history alive for all generations, and it often sparks people to learn more about the history of America, she says.
“It piques your curiosity about how things went down at that time,” Williams says.
The show connects with a wide range of people. She finds that very refreshing and unique.
“You don’t have that many shows that can do that,” she says. “It’s people who love history, people who love rap, people who love musical theater. It’s also the diversity of the cast. I think it’s important for people to see the perspective of Black and brown people telling the story of how America was made.”
For showtimes and tickets, visit BroadwayinRichmond.com.
Feature photo: Nikisha Williams (inset) stars as Eliza in the 2023 touring production of HAMILTON. Pictured: Stephanie Jae Park, Ta’Rea Campbell, and Paige Smallwood as the Schuyler sisters: Angelica, Eliza, and Peggy in HAMILTON National Tour. (Photo by Joan Marcus)
