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SPOTLIGHT: The rising star of William Young in A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC and beyond
- Jun 24
- 5 min read
Barbara Loots
If you have not heard of William Young yet, where have you been? Since graduating from the Waterfront Theatre School in 2024, he has been jumping from stage to stage in Cape Town. In 2024 already he stood out for his performance as the emotionally conflicted JD in their final year show, Heathers – The Musical. Since then, this Durban-born young performer has not missed a beat, having already trod the boards in productions like the pantomime Jack and the Beanstalk, Twelfth Night, The Rocky Horror Show, and most recently Chicken, And. Next up, he takes on the role of the young Henrik Egerman in Sondheim’s A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC at Theatre on the Bay. So naturally we could not pass on the opportunity to shine the spotlight on this talented rising star.
Young shares that theatre has been part of his life since an early age, with his Gran taking him and his siblings every year to see KickstArt’s annual pantomime in Durban.
“I remember being completely awe-inspired and I was desperate to be on stage with them from the very time I saw my first show, around age 5. I grew up in Durban which doesn’t have the biggest theatre scene, so we were very lucky to have Steven Stead and Greg King (KickstArt) putting on world class shows each year.”
It is then no surprise that his grandmother, Marlene, has been the biggest inspiration in his career to date with her unwavering support.
“Her belief in me is unequivocal. I often think she believes in me more than I believe in myself –she knows she’s biased (she doesn’t care) and every time she watches me she tells me I deserve an Oscar, haha! She also inspired me to start playing piano which was a starting point to my career as a performer.”
With such a strong love for music being part and parcel of Young’s artistic DNA it is understandable that a production of the calibre of A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC would greatly appeal to him, especially seeing as it was created by the genius that is the wildly witty and brilliant Sondheim. Young shares that he is particularly draw to Sondheim’s “complex, beautiful music that perfectly captures humanity in such a stark and honest way”. That, paired with the book by Hugh Wheeler where the characters too are revealed as layered and complex, makes stepping into the shoes of Henrik Egerman an enticing prospect for Young: “It’s such an incredible (and terrifying) opportunity for me to do this and to grow and learn through it.”
A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC, is a witty 1900s-set Swedish romantic farce that explores rather tangled love-affairs. It follows middle-aged lawyer Fredrik Egerman (Jonathan Roxmouth), his young, virginal wife Anne (Liné Jordaan), his lovelorn son Henrik (Young), and the glamorous actress Desirée Armfeldt (Samantha Peo), amongst other colourful characters. A complex web of lovers converges at an idyllic country estate one whimsical weekend where they and their (mis)matches confront themes of regret and second chances.
Asked how he would describe Henrik to someone who knows nothing much about the show, Young draws on the character Petra (Brittany Smith) who teasingly refers to him as “Poor Henrik” as the best starting point. Petra’s reference to Hendrik lands somewhere between pride and pity, which is also captured by the way Young experiences him.
“A young man, the son of Frederik Egerman, studying to be a priest who is terribly conflicted between his desires and what he believes to be right, in terms of the Church. He’s gloomy, tormented, feels very sorry for himself and seems to carry the weight of the world on his young shoulders. He desperately wants to be taken as seriously as he takes himself and all too often, he feels overlooked and shunned because of his youthfulness.”
Such a tormented character makes for an exiting role, says Young. “The complexity of the character has been super exciting to explore. Henrik is a thinker, and having such a layered character presents a great challenge for me as an actor.”
But with Henrik also comes its challenges for any actor. Young shares that the music and the songs have really pushed him as he readies himself to step into the shoes of Henrik.
“While singing Later, Henrik’s big solo, he also has to play the cello, which doesn’t make things any easier! I’ve had to learn cello for this role which has been such a wonderful challenge. Thankfully I played violin growing up so I understood some basic technique, but it’s taken a lot of practicing and some calloused fingers!”
Young reflects on the range of characters, saying that much like Henrik they all have something that makes them fascinating in their complexity. But if he had to choose one, apart from Henrik, that he finds most interesting it would have to be Anne, he professes: “I find her youthful frivolity absolutely hilarious”. Played by the sensational Jordaan, Anne promises to entice audiences just as much as Young’s Henrik by the sounds of it.
Young is truly excited for audience to experience this Cape Town Opera presented staging of A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC at Theatre on the Bay.
“Not only is the musical incredibly well written but it’s also so well directed by Fred Abrahamse, who has approached the piece with such care. As the late great Stephen Sondheim said ‘God is in the details’ and we’re definitely using that. The detail that is going into everything is awe-inspiring, from the set, props and costumes to the music, to the characters. Plus, the whole of the creative team is truly at the top of their game. With a cast that includes Jonathan Roxmouth, Kate Normington, Samantha Peo, Marcel Meyer, Aviva Pelham and Brittany Smith, the talent in the room, both on and offstage, is remarkable and it is an honour to be a part of this show.”
As his recent trajectory has shown, Young keeps challenging and developing himself as a performer. So, what’s next after A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC?
“I’m super excited to be heading to London in July to do a membership course with the National Youth Theatre. Called Epic Stages, it is a course that enables a group of young actors to work with a director and writer to create an original work over a few weeks. It acts as an onboarding course which, after completion, grants me official National Youth Theatre Acting membership. I know I have loads to learn and I want to keep doing that.”
And ten years from now? How does Young see himself in the future, as a mixture of all he has already experienced and the adventures still to come? Ever humble he reflects that he knows that nothing is certain in the career of an actor; an actor’s future is always in flux:
“I’d love to still be acting; doing diverse work that keeps pushing me and growing me in my craft. I’d also like to try film and TV. Most of all I want to be able to move audiences - to make them feel seen through honest, truthful performances showing what it means to be human.
Inspired by Ingmar Bergman’s film, Smiles of a Summer Night, A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC remains one of Sondheim’s most beloved and sophisticated works. Filled with lush waltzes, razor-sharp lyrics, and emotional complexity, the work includes the iconic 'Send in the Clowns’, a song that has become part of the canon of modern musical theatre. A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC, presented by Cape Town Opera, will be onstage at Theatre on the Bay from 30 June to 12 July with booking via Webtickets. Please note that the production carries an age restriction of PG13 due to adult themes and sexual context.