Our Town’s Ephraim Sykes on Leaping from Dance to Drama and Celebrating the Quiet Diversity of Grover's Corners

Casting is one of director Kenny Leon’s special powers, so when he calls Ephraim Sykes “a superstar in the American theater,” it’s worth paying attention. Leon first took note of Sykes’ talent when he directed the young actor’s performance as Seaweed Stubbs in the 2016 telecast of Hairspray Live! “Ephraim cannot tell a lie on stage,” Leon tells Broadway.com. “He always knows and plays the truth.”

Those qualities made Sykes Leon’s first choice to play George Gibbs in the starry Broadway revival of Our Town. It’s the first play ever for this virtuoso dancer and 2019 Tony nominee for his blistering portrayal of Temptations lead singer David Ruffin in Ain’t Too Proud. “I needed someone who could play both a teen and a young adult,” Leon says of Sykes, a very youthful 39, “and only one person came to mind: Ephraim.” Sykes exudes an appealing sincerity, both on stage in Thornton Wilder’s classic and in conversation about his 15-year Broadway career.

What’s it like being in the most famous American play ever written?

I don’t have the words! I’ve never done a play before, let alone the greatest American play. And not only that, to be doing it with the most incredible people who could have been put together. I have to continually pinch myself and tell myself that I deserve to be here, and to believe that this is all happening for a reason and a purpose.

Did you have any preconceived ideas about Our Town?

I had no clue about the play. I had never heard of it.

Really? What interested you about playing George Gibbs?

He’s beautiful and big-hearted and yet simple in his intentions. What he happens to want is the most important thing in the world: love. He finds true love as a young man, and he’s willing to do anything for it. Beyond his gifts as a ball player and whatever else he could aspire toward, he says, “What I want is a family, and to make my family proud.” I fell in love with him and with the play instantly. My mind was blown that something could be so powerful and so simple at the same time.

You received a Tony nomination for playing the opposite of a naive 16-year-old in Ain’t Too Proud. Is it exciting to get back to basics?

Absolutely. Over the past couple of years, I’ve been searching for ways to reconnect to my younger self—to a young Ephraim that I wish had gotten to have more fun before the world started telling me what I could and couldn’t do, to bring that mindset of endless possibilities and youthful innocence back into my adult life. Kenny Leon is constantly pushing us to find the joy and hang on to it because the drama is always going to be there.

You mentioned the simplicity of Our Town, but it’s a deceptively challenging play to do well. How did this big-name ensemble come together?

We made deep connections with each other in rehearsal, and we’ve been able to translate what we were doing to the stage and share it with our audiences. I have an amazing scene partner in Zoey Deutch [as Emily Webb]. From day one, we got into our own little world, and it still feels like that in the most beautiful way. This is one of the most diverse and eclectic casts, and we’re leaning into that and letting that be the representation of Our Town.

Does the fact that the Gibbs family is African-American add subtext to the production, or is it something that doesn’t need to be addressed?

It’s not addressed, and it doesn’t have to be. It’s just who we happen to be. And I think that’s poignant because, again, that’s the purpose of this: to get back to the humanity, to strip away labels that we associate with one another. You look at this white household and this Black household side by side, and they’re doing the same things every day. Everybody’s having breakfast; everybody’s saying hello to their mother. The way I hug my father may be different, but those subtle nuances are something to celebrate.

You are an award-winning Broadway dancer who started your career with Alvin Ailey. How much of an adjustment is it not to be using that singular talent?

It’s a challenge because I’ve never done this kind of storytelling. When I wanted to communicate something on stage, it was always, “I can dance it for you. I can show you how I feel when I move my body in a certain way. I can sing how I feel.” But now I’m getting to a place of feeling that I’m good using words to relay that same depth of emotionality. It’s been a beautiful learning process.

You’ve had quite a year, from playing the title role in Pal Joey [at City Center Encores] to Conrad Birdie [in Bye Bye Birdie at the Kennedy Center] and now George in Our Town. There’s no throughline in those three roles.

There actually is: Those are all white characters, originally. This past year has been me stepping into the shoes of characters famously played by white men and figuring out how to speak to these men with a Black voice—with my voice—without losing the truth and the core of who they are. It’s been very interesting.

Has Broadway changed for the better for actors of color since you were in The Little Mermaid 15 years ago?

One-hundred percent. I have had so many moments of tokenism that broke my heart and made me want to remove myself from that form of casting—moments of [thinking] “I know you are casting me out of all the people auditioning because you want one Black person, just to say you have some form of representation.”

When did that happen?

This is no dig on the show, but I felt it when I was doing Newsies. I was the only one there, and we weren’t speaking to what it meant to be a Black boy during that time amongst those guys. Newsies isn’t necessarily about that, but I had the feeling of not being utilized, of being just a speck in this huge thing. That was the same year Trayvon Martin was killed, and we weren’t having conversations to address how lonely I felt the way we would now. Now, directors and producers are saying, “Let’s rethink this. Why can’t a Black man lead this show? Why can’t a Black family be the lead of this story?” Then we experience the full humanity of the characters, sometimes while commenting on it or, as in Our Town, they just exist in this world. The change in this industry from The Little Mermaid to now has been night and day.

As an original cast member in Hamilton, you’ve been part of that change.

Oh, absolutely. Hamilton was a major moment where we kicked down the door to show what theater can look like—that you can put black and brown faces in the forefront to tell American stories, and the show can be a huge hit.

It must be fun to think back on playing Ariana Grande’s boyfriend and Jennifer Hudson’s son on TV in Hairspray Live!

If you had asked me as a kid, “What are your dreams?” I never would have said Broadway, let alone all the people I’ve gotten to work with. I have to give all glory to God. God has done miraculous and mysterious work in and around my life. I have no clue what’s going to happen next, so I just try to, as they say, “Stay ready so you don’t have to get ready.” Then it’s about trusting that I’m meant to be here—that I was put here on purpose.

Was your dad, who is a minister, supportive of you and your sister [Martina Sykes] going into show business?

Oh, yes. My sister is on tour right now with The Lion King. Once we found a talent, or anything we were interested in, my parents were like, “Go! Where do we need to take you so you can pursue whatever it is that you love doing?” I’m very grateful to my dad and mom, and now [my sister and I] have our own scholarship fund at our high school [in St. Petersburg, Florida]. I know so many young, gifted Black kids who, like me, didn’t necessarily think Broadway was possible for them. I want them to feel the sense of possibility my parents gave me.

Wait until they see you in this play!

They’re coming on opening night. They would never have seen this coming either, so it’s going to be a beautiful moment.