Wolverhampton-born Simeon Beckett’s CV includes Everybody’s Talking About Jamie and Back To The Future. This summer he’s back on home turf in the Midlands, performing in the ensemble and as George Eaker in multi-award-winning musical Hamilton at Birmingham Hippodrome (until Saturday 31 August). We caught up with him to find out more... 

Where did you go to school, Simeon, and what did you get up to as a youngster? 
I grew up in Wolverhampton and went to primary school in Ettingshall, and then to secondary school at Moseley Park. I used to play a lot of football and played for Sunday teams Bentley and Wallstones, so I’d train there once or twice a week and then we’d play matches on a Sunday. I also enjoyed going down to pitches at Goals in Bilston and playing there with friends.

And now you live in London? 
I moved in 2013 to train at the Urdang Academy. I did a foundation course for a year and then a three-year dance & musical theatre course, before graduating in 2017. 

Can you tell us about the audition process and how you found out that you’d been cast in Hamilton?
The auditions were a mixture of dance, singing, acting, and then performing all three back-to-back. The first time I actually auditioned for Hamilton was 2017, but in the past it’s never worked out timing-wise with other jobs I’ve had. I found out I’d been cast this time when my agent called me. She started to play some Hamilton music down the phone and asked if I’d like a part in Hamilton, which was pretty cool!

That was last year, and I then started rehearsals in late August, into September, before the tour started in November. 

Do you have any favourite haunts in Wolverhampton and Birmingham?
A lot has changed since I moved to London - there’s been so much redevelopment, and some places don’t exist anymore. But one of my favourite things to do is get a haircut at my childhood barbers, Markies Barbers and Prestige Barbers. When you’re on tour and working away, you have to try and compromise with those things, but now that I’m home, it’s nice that I can have my hair cut by someone I trust and who I’ve gone to for many years. I also enjoy going to the dance studios that I’ve taught at before, with people who I used to train with when I first started. It’s really nice to go back to those.
  
What does it mean to be performing at Birmingham Hippodrome? 
It means a lot, mainly because it’s my local venue and close to all my friends and family, but also because I performed in my first ever theatre show there. I did a show called Breakin’ Convention with a dance company called Dance Nuvo, and it was my first time performing in a big theatre in front of hundreds of people. So it’s a real full-circle moment for me now that I’m here with Hamilton, and it’s so special to have those moments. 

Do you have family and friends coming to see the show whilst you’re here? 
My mum came last week, and it was really nice to have her in the audience; she is so supportive of me.

My sister also came to see it, and after the show she asked if it was actually me speaking, or if it’s pre-recorded and we mimed, because she had never heard me do an American accent before. When I did it for her again, she was mesmerised by it; I found that really funny! 

A lot of my other friends and family have also come to see it, or will come to see it, so it’s really nice to have that support while I’m here.

Tell us about your role in the show?
I’m part of the ensemble and I also play George Eacker, who has a duel with Alexander Hamilton’s son, Philip, in act two. Hamilton is very much an ensemble show and is carried a lot by the ensemble, I would say. We’re hardly ever off-stage. It’s a very busy show for me; in fact, it’s probably one of the busiest shows I’ve ever done - it’s non-stop! It challenges me every day, which keeps it interesting and fun.  
Why should Midlands audiences go to see Hamilton?

Mainly because it’s a really fun show. It’s one of the best shows out there, not even being biased! The choreography, the music, everything is just great, and I think the message resonates with a lot that’s going on in the world right now.

Hamilton is a show that I’ve always wanted to do, and like I said, I’ve been auditioning for it since 2017, so it’s really nice to be able to say that I’ve done it now.

Hamilton continues its run at Birmingham Hippodrome until Saturday 31 August