Rodney Hicks facts for kids

Rodney Hicks was born on March 28, 1974. He is an American actor, a writer for plays, and a writer for movies. He is most famous for playing the role of Bob in the Broadway musical Come from Away (2017). He also played different characters in the first and last Broadway shows of the musical Rent.

Rodney Hicks' Acting Journey

Rodney Hicks started his acting career on Broadway in 1996. He was part of the very first cast of the musical Rent. In this show, he created the role of Paul. He also learned the part of Benjamin Coffin III, so he could step in if needed.

He returned to Rent in 2007. This time, he played Benjamin Coffin III as the main actor. He was the last person to play this role before the show ended that year. The final show, with Rodney Hicks in it, was even filmed. You can see it in Rent: Filmed Live on Broadway.

In 2000, Rodney Hicks acted as Peter in a new version of Jesus Christ Superstar. This show played for six months on Broadway. He also played Joe Bonaparte in a 2000 version of Charles Strouse's Golden Boy.

Off-Broadway and Awards

Away from Broadway, he acted in a 2006 show called Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris. You can hear his voice on the recording of that show.

In 2010, he played Clarence Norris in the musical The Scottsboro Boys. This show was directed by the famous Susan Stroman. It started Off-Broadway and later moved to Broadway. In 2012, Rodney Hicks played the main role of Haywood Patterson in The Scottsboro Boys in Philadelphia. For this role, he won the 2012 Barrymore Award for Best Leading Male in a Musical. He also won awards for his acting in the same show at the Village Theatre in Seattle.

In 2011, Rodney Hicks played Curly in a special version of Oklahoma!. This was the first time the show had an all African-American cast. It was performed in Portland, Oregon.

Overcoming Challenges

In 2014, Rodney Hicks helped develop the musical Come from Away. This show later opened on Broadway in 2017. He had to leave the cast of Come from Away in 2017. He was diagnosed with spasmodic dysphonia. This is a condition that makes a person's voice muscles spasm, making it hard to speak or sing clearly. Because of this, he could not be in the filmed version of the musical, which came out in 2021 on Apple TV+.

After getting treatment, Rodney Hicks was able to speak and sing clearly again! He has since acted in many different plays across the country. These include King Lear, Lobby Hero, Ain't Misbehavin', and Two Gentlemen of Verona. In 2023, he played Walter in the musical Chess at The Muny.

Writing and Television Work

Rodney Hicks is also a writer. He is currently working on a writing project called '1 9 6 8'. Some of his plays that have been published include Ms. Pearl's Cabaret, FLAME BROILED. or the ugly play, and Just Press Save. His play Just Press Save was even featured at the 2020 Pride Plays Festival.

Besides the stage, Rodney Hicks has appeared on several TV shows. He played Delray Williams in NYPD Blue. He was also a guest star as Jerome Davis in an episode of Law & Order: Criminal Intent. He played Perry on the last season of ABC's Hope and Faith. When he lived in the Pacific Northwest, he appeared on NBC's Grimm and TNT's Leverage.

Rodney Hicks' Life

Rodney Hicks was born and grew up in Philadelphia. He finished high school at Roxborough High School in 1992. He then went to Mansfield University. However, he left college in 1994 to focus on acting full-time.

Early in his career, he performed with Lauryn Hill from the music group The Fugees in a musical called Bring in the Morning - A Wake up Call. He also had a role in the pop opera I Was Looking at the Ceiling and Then I Saw the Sky.

Rodney Hicks is married to Chris Coleman. Chris Coleman is the artistic director at the Denver Theatre Center for Performing Arts. They met when Rodney Hicks was auditioning for Oklahoma!. After his voice condition diagnosis, Rodney Hicks moved back to the Pacific Northwest with Chris Coleman to get better. Since moving to Denver in 2018, Rodney Hicks has continued to write and act. He also practices meditation.