Hamilton performer joins show after working front of house at same venue

In a widely spread social media post yesterday, performer Jack Harrison-Cooper shared two contrasting photos: in the first, from 2019, he is serving drinks behind the bar at the multi-award-winning West End production of Hamilton. In the second, he has shared a snap of himself, backstage on the same production, as part of the show’s latest ensemble.

Harrison-Cooper highlights a number of important points that might not be obvious to the standard theatregoer rocking up to the West End: firstly, there’s a very strong chance that when you’re picking up your interval G&T, the person pouring your drink might well be a future (or even current!) Elphaba or Jean Valjean – picking up shifts between gigs in order to pay rent. The same applies for the front-of-house staff, sat watching the show every night or steering ticketholders as they arrive: I remember once having my bag checked by an actor I’d seen on TV the week before.

From pouring drinks at Hamilton to performing in it, this 5-year journey is proof that dreams do come true. To every actor facing rough times, keep believing in yourself. The wait is worth it. #hamilton #actor #actorslife #dreambig pic.twitter.com/YJEEuXMYCo

— Jack Harrison-Cooper (@JackHCooper_) July 29, 2024

Secondly – working in theatre is incredibly turbulent – one moment a performer may be locked into an annual contract, the next they may be staring at months of unsuccessful auditions, additional training or zero-hour contracted jobs. As much as the West End can feel like a lavish, glamorous experience, it’s one that can only exist with the graft and sweat of thousands of ensemble performers persevering time and again. A fantastic podcast, The 98%, has done a masterful job exploring this in great detail.

Thirdly is that the highs, when they come, can make all of this worthwhile – a chance to appear nightly in one of the most exciting productions of the century. It’s wonderful to see Harrison-Cooper celebrate this fact in a nice moment of symmetry – with social media followers acknowledging the journey involved. He did not throw away his shot!