Elijah Malcomb is in the HAMILTON National Tour, traveling the nation with the "Philip Tour" cast as John Laurens/Philip Hamilton. Elijah was kind enough to instantly respond to doing this interview and I am so grateful! I hope you enjoy!
Interviewer: Anna Miller, @bwaydrawings
Interviewing: Elijah Malcomb, @elimusic
AM: What is your name and your preferred pronouns?
EM: Elijah Malcomb, He/Him
AM: What have you been up to since the tour was put on halt/in quarantine?
EM: Since the tour ended I’ve been taking time to relax for myself, catching up with old friends, reading, writing, taking classes.
AM: What are some of your favorite shows you’ve ever done? Why?
EM: I’ve been blessed to play a lot of my dream roles such as Seaweed in Hairspray, Seymour in Little Shop, Twig in Bring it On, and every show has been an amazing journey leading me to Hamilton and I’ve made many great friends and have had a lot of fun along the way.
AM: What is your favorite role you’ve ever played? Why?
EM: That’s hard to say I’ve loved every role but I think my favorite was Seymour it was my first time being the main lead of a show so it challenged me in ways I hadn’t been faced with before.
AM: What is it like to be in Hamilton and play this really difficult role 8 times a week?
EM: A marathon, you have to learn endurance and how to take care of yourself both off and on stage. Everything you do effects how you do the show so it’s been an amazing learning experience and an amazing blessing to be apart of this show and of course a dream.
AM: What are some of your dream roles? can be gender-bent, something you may never play but totally want to, etc.
EM: I’d love to play Simba in the Lion King or C.C in Dreamgirls or Evan in Dear Evan Hansen or Clyde in Bonnie and Clyde.
AM: What is your go-to audition song?
EM: I have a few but my main one is Raise A Little Hell from Bonnie and Clyde.
AM: Did you always want to be an actor growing up? if not, what did you want to do?
EM: Not necessarily, I’ve always been drawn to creative things in general but my first love was Music. I still have dreams of being a recording artist and act as well.
AM: Do you have any favorite hobbies that you like to do when you’re not in a theatre?
EM: I love painting, swimming, and playing video games.
AM: Do you and/or the company of Hamilton have any pre-show rituals you guys do?
EM: Lots as a company, we circle up before every show and someone says something uplifting or that they experienced or realized that day, its a way for us to check in together as a family and ground ourselves before we hit the stage.
AM: Any favorite stage mishaps?
EM: Lol too many to count, one I love is when the turntable malfunctions because no one has time to think or react we all collectively come together without saying a word about it and make it work seamlessly every time.
AM: Do you like being on tour? any favorite cities you’ve been to?
EM: After two and a half yeard I love my job and the show and my tour family but I’m not one who enjoys packing so tour life is not as thrilling as it once was, plus I miss friends and family. Though I do enjoy seeing new places and experiencing new cities, my favorite would have to be New Orleans.
AM: How do you make sure you are mentally and physically healthy while on tour?
EM: Eating right, getting enough sleep, drinking lots of tea and taking care of my voice, exercise, and doing something for my mental health whether it be a nap, or reading with candles lit, a bath, talking to friends, etc. self care is extremely important.
AM: Any favorite show memories?
EM: Kyle and Fergie’s last show was so emotional for all of us we did the show for us that night and the audience got a once in a lifetime experience.
Wow, thank you so so much to Elijah for doing this interview! Here's where you can find him:
Instagram: elimusic
twitter: elimusic01
The HAMILTON National Tour, travelling the U.S with the "Philip Tour". Info on the tour here! https://hamiltonmusical.com/us-tour/cast/ and https://hamiltonmusical.com/us-tour/home/
I hope you enjoyed this interview, and I will see you soon with a new blog post!
Much Love,
Anna
@bwaydrawings