Listen. When I heard someone who performed in a Broadway production of “Hamilton” — as the Alexander Hamilton himself — was coming to Wichita State, I knew I had to be in that audience. I was deep in the trenches when it came out on Disney+ in 2020, and I have been to a live production of the show in Wichita during 2023; I love it that much. 

I had no idea what to expect when I grabbed my ticket, but in the end, I was pleasantly surprised and glad I blocked out an hour and a half on a Thursday night to witness “One Night Only with Julius Thomas III.”

Thomas is a WSU alum who graduated in 2005 with a degree in musical theater and eventually found himself in four Broadway shows with a variety of different acting credits. 

But he didn’t start out on the Broadway stage. His acting career started at Wichita State and has only grown since then.

Thomas began his performance on Thursday with a song from the last musical he participated in on the Wichita State stage, “Pippin,” before moving into introductions. 

Between each song, Thomas sprinkled in anecdotes about his own experience with theater, from roller skates being a saving grace during an audition to how he learned to grow his career.

His second song of the night was from the “25th Annual Putnam Spelling Bee,” where Thomas was not alone on stage. WSU students Olivia Lybarger and Liv Rivera performed solos during the song. The two were chosen to participate in the performance after submitting audition tapes. One of Thomas’s big messages was the importance of preparation meeting opportunity, which he said these students exemplified. 

I had literal chills during the last harmonies of the piece. The way the trio’s voices mixed and filled Weidemann Hall was truly mesmerizing. 

Thomas went on to perform music numbers from shows like “Motown: The Musical,” “Xanadu” and “Shrek.” He told stories about his time on the stage in between each performance, like the time he went to Japan for the traveling tour of “Xanadu” unwillingly. 

One of my favorite parts of his performance was his energy. 

Even though he was on a near bare stage with only a piano and a mic stand, I could imagine each scene and setting perfectly. His little dance moves really added to the whole performance.

As part of a grand finale, Thomas performed “Wait for It” from “Hamilton,” which was a major win in my book as it’s my favorite song from the musical’s score. The riffs, the emotion, the literal everything about the performance was perfect. 

He ended the night with a hopeful message to the future generations of acting — the road would be hard, but it was possible if the time and work was put in. 

Overall, Thomas’s performance was always high in energy, and his vocals were on point the entire time. I had not heard of Thomas before this event, but I’m excited to see his name on more programs in the future.