King George III hails from Cleveland. In April, Rory O’Malley became the fourth actor to receive the crown in a coronation ceremony for the role in the Broadway smash hit Hamilton. The St. Ignatius High School grad has an impressive resume that includes a Tony nomination for his part in The Book of Mormon. You would think getting cast in the 11-time Tony-winning, sold-out musical would be his golden ticket to scoring a few seats to the show, right? Not quite. O’Malley receives nearly a dozen ticket requests — many from people he’s never met — each day. “I’m still working on getting my family in,” he says. “So the person who writes a letter that says that they once visited Ohio, but that’s the only connection we have will probably have to wait.” While we are biding our time too, we chat with O’Malley about being a part of the biggest show of the year and his early stage days in Cleveland.
Q: You were at the Beck Center for 10 years. How much of that is still with you?
A: I would look forward to getting out of school and showing up to Beck Center for rehearsal or for a class or to run soundboard. I truly believe that building was my second home, and in many ways saved my life, because it gave me purpose and joy in my teenage years. Growing up being a gay kid in the closet, who loves art and who loves being onstage, it was an oasis for me. It made me feel accepted and loved and that I could succeed and gave me a base of friends from all walks of life that I still have.
Q: You wrote a show about Cleveland. What is that like?
A: [It’s] called Pub Crawl. I did it at Joe’s Pub in New York City. It was about 10 different Irish drinking songs that I learned as a child growing up in Cleveland. It was kind of a tribute to the Irish-American folks on the West Side. It felt very unique and special to brag about my hometown to New York.
Q: Is Hamilton as much fun as it seems?
A: I can’t really describe the excitement. There are 9-year-olds coming to this show who know every single word and are now invested in Alexander Hamilton. It’s a gift to Broadway. It’s a gift to kids’ education. It will inspire an entire new generation of theatergoers.
Q: What was it like working with Lin-Manuel Miranda?
A: Our dressing rooms were next to each other for four months, and there wasn’t one moment where he said he was tired, where he said he was over it. He was nothing but joy, optimism and energy.
