George Salazar is an American actor, singer, and musician who is originally from Kissimmee, Florida. He lives in Los Angeles and is known for his work on and off-Broadway. He most recently appeared in Pasadena Playhouse's production of Little Shop of Horrors as Seymour Krelborn. In 2011, he made his Broadway debut singing "Light of the World" in the revival of Stephen Schwartz's first musical, Godspell. Salazar appeared in his most recognizable role to date as Michael in the 2015 stage musical Be More Chill at the Two River Theater in Red Bank, New Jersey, as well as the 2018 Off-Broadway and on Broadway in 2019 at the Lyceum Theater in New York City, New York. He is also an experienced percussionist on drumkit and cajón.
Early life and education
Salazar was raised in an interracial household in Orlando, Florida. His mother, Jonah, is Filipino and his father, George, is Ecuadorian. Growing up, Salazar focused his studies on pursuing a career as a doctor, but switched his focus to the theater in his last two years of high school. After graduating high school, he attended the University of Florida where he majored in Musical Theatre. In 2008, he graduated from the University of Florida with a BFA degree in Musical Theatre. He moved to New York City shortly after to pursue his acting career.
Acting career
Salazar's first break came in 2010 when he was cast as "Otto" in the second national tour of the Tony Award-winning musical, Spring Awakening. The production toured the United States as well as Canada and closed in May 2011. Upon returning to New York City from touring, Salazar earned his Actors' Equity Association membership. In September 2011, Salazar was cast in the 40th Anniversary Broadway revival of Stephen Schwartz's Godspell. In the revival, he was the "Light of the World" soloist, marking his Broadway debut. The show opened at Broadway's Circle in the Square Theatre on November 7, 2011 and closed on June 24, 2012 after 30 previews and 264 performances. A cast album was recorded and released on Sh-K-Boom Records in 2012. During Godspells run, he and the rest of the cast made television appearances on the Late Show with David Letterman, The View, The Rosie Show, and the Tony Awards telecast. In the Spring of 2013, Salazar further combined his passions for theatre and music as a cast member and musician in the Off-Broadway production of F#%king Up Everything. In addition to playing the stoner drummer of a rock band, he served as the musical's on-stage drummer. This role was later reprised in 2016 when the musical changed its name to Brooklyn Crush. In the summer of 2013, Salazar became an understudy in The Public Theater's Off-Broadway production of David Byrne and Fatboy Slim's Here Lies Love, directed by Alex Timbers. In April 2014, Salazar rejoined the cast of Here Lies Love in an open-ended commercial run at the musical's original home, The Public Theater, as an onstage member of the ensemble. The production closed on January 4, 2015. In 2015, Salazar joined the cast of the musical adaptation of Ned Vizzini's Be More Chill as Michael Mell at the Two River Theater in Red Bank, New Jersey. The production closed on June 28, 2015. In 2016, Salazar played Michael in the Off-Broadway revival of Tick, Tick... Boom!, which opened on October 20, 2016 at the Acorn Theatre at Theater Row. The production ran from October 20 to December 18. In 2017, Salazar played the characters of Grover and Mr. D in the Off-Broadway premiere of The Lightning Thief. The limited production ran from March 23 to May 6. In 2018, Salazar reprised his role as Michael Mell in Be More Chill in the Off-Broadway premiere of the musical at Signature Theatre Company from July to September 2018. In 2019, Salazar played Michael Mell in Be More Chill at the Lyceum Theatre from February 14, 2019, to August 11, 2019 on Broadway. In 2019, Salazar starred in Little Shop of Horrors at Pasadena Playhouse as Seymour Krelborn from September 17, 2019, to October 20, 2019. During that time he was featured as a musical guest on The Late Late Show with James Corden on CBS where he sang "Suddenly Seymour" with Little Shop of Horrors co-star Mj Rodriguez.
