TAMPA, Fla. — The return of "Hamilton" to the Straz Center for the Performing Arts also brings a hometown performer back to the theater he grew up attending.

What You Need To Know

  • Tampa native Deejay Young is performing at the Straz this month as part of the "Hamilton" North American tour

  • Young is a standby and covers five principle roles, including Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr

  • Young got his start singing at church and grew to love musical theater while attending Blake High School

  • Audiences can catch Young starring as Hamilton on Jan. 17

"I've been here so many times," Deejay Young said of the Straz. "I think elementary school was the first time I'd ever been here, and I would come see the Florida Orchestra. I was so incredibly inspired by that. I would come see other Broadway tours — me and my family would come. So, this is a very special homecoming moment that I'm just incredibly grateful for."

Young is a standby in the Angelica cast of the "Hamilton" North American tour. At any given show, he can be called on to cover the roles of Alexander Hamilton, Aaron Burr, Marquis de Lafayette/Thomas Jefferson, John Laurens/Philip Hamilton and Hercules Mulligan/James Madison.

"Sometimes, like 30 minutes, sometimes, you know, a week — it really depends," Young said of the notice he gets before filling in. "I've gone on in the middle of the show before. So, I've just learned to just be ready at any moment."

Young said he was born and raised in Tampa, and his love of music began at a young age.

"I grew up singing in church here in Tampa. My mom was a choir director. My mom was a singer, as well. So, that was always in me, but being at Blake, I was able to be a part of my first musical, which was 'Ragtime'," Young said of his time attending Howard W. Blake High School. "It changed my life forever."

After graduating from Blake in 2008, Young said he attended Florida A&M University before rethinking the path he wanted to take and moving to Orlando.

"Things kind of blossomed from there with Disney. I got signed for a little bit. That didn't work out, and so I came back to Tampa, and things just kind of blossomed from there, but it has not been easy. It hasn't been squeaky clean to get to this moment. It's been a lot of hard work, a lot of rejections," Young said.

In 2019, he auditioned for the "Hamilton" tour in Orlando.

"They kept asking for material, different roles and different characters. And I'm like, 'What exactly are they expecting of me? What do they want me to do?'" Young said.

He found out that summer that he'd be joining the tour. 

Tampa audiences have seen Young perform as Aaron Burr, and he's expected to play Alexander Hamilton at the Jan. 17 show.

"It's been surreal," Young said of performing in his hometown. "It's been an honor. It's been super humbling. My beginnings were here. I was born and raised here. So, it's just incredibly special to be here and share such an incredible homecoming moment with not only my family, but the people who I grew up with and have shared incredible moments with. It's real special."

While in town, Young has been busy outside of "Hamilton", singing the national anthem at the Reliaquest Bowl with fellow cast members and debuting his first film, "Hisstory: Primitive" at a local theater. His original music can be found on iTunes. You can learn more about upcoming projects here.