APPLETON, Wis. — Desmond Sean Ellington fell in love with “Hamilton” the second he saw the show. He set his sights on one goal: To be in the room — or at least on the stage — where it happened.

“Hamilton” follows the life of founding father, Alexander Hamilton, kicking off just before the start of the U.S. revolution, which is about the same time he meets his wife, Eliza Schuyler, and her two sisters Angelica and Peggy.

Throughout “Hamilton,” the title character works his way up in government and military ranks, helping George Washington free — and later lead — the nation. He gets married, moves a few times, falls in love, has children and feverishly writes his way through it all. Not to mention, he longs for his wife’s sister, has an affair, finds himself in the heat of major political battles, loses his son and watches his life flash before his eyes as he tragically dies dueling his friend-turned-enemy Aaron Burr. 

This version of the story of America’s birth is full of complexities. And it had Ellington hooked.

“I saw the first national tour [in summer of 2017] and I was completely blown away — like literally, my jaw-dropping blown away — that this is what musical theater could be, and is, clearly,” Ellington said. He said he knew that “Hamilton” was a “top tier” show and had aspirations to join it when he was ready.

He figured it’d take him a few years to work his way up to that level, as he was new to the industry.

“As the universe would have it, two months later I was cast in the second national tour of ‘Hamilton.’ I’ve been with the show ever since,” he said.

Ellington started out as a standby, covering Aaron Burr, George Washington, Hercules Mulligan and James Madison. He could be called to the stage in any one of those roles at a moment’s notice.

“Honestly, it’s fun. It keeps things interesting,” he said. “[You have to] switch your mind, switch your gears, to that role. And all the roles are so different, as far as the characters, as far as the music, the lyrics, the choreography… So it definitely keeps your mind sharp. You can’t get too comfortable.”

He’s since moved up and out of the standby role though and now portrays Mulligan and Madison full time. Something unique to “Hamilton” is that many of the actors play two principal roles in the show.

In the first act, Ellington’s Mulligan is “young, scrappy and hungry.” Later on in the show when he portrays Madison, he “has to grow up” as a soon-to-be U.S. president. The duality of his work maintains that freshness he loved as a standby.

“It’s a story that, even honestly after five years of doing the show, I look forward to doing it every night,” he said.

It’s not only the story that matters, but who’s telling it.

“Hamilton” casts primarily people of color.

“It’s such a beautiful thing to look on stage and see people of color playing lead rolls,” Ellington said. “For a long time, you didn’t see that. If you did, you had maybe, like, the token friend, or the help or something like that.”

“Hamilton” has multiple touring casts. In Ellington’s (known as the “Phillip Tour”), George Washington is played by an actor of Asian descent and Alexander Hamilton is played by an actor of Latinx descent.

“[There] is so much representation on the stage, playing lead characters — amazing, layered, flawed characters — to be able to look on stage and see that, that is beautiful,” Ellington said.

Ellington said that while diversity and representation has been missing in the theatrical world for quite some time now, change has started to happen. “Hamilton” is one of the shows that lead the change.

“I’m so glad to be in a show that [diversity and representation] was at the top and the forefront of the deciding and creative process of putting this show together,” he said. “That’s what I love as well, is what this show represents.

“Especially with the climate of the world that we’re in, I love that we get to provide space every night where we look out in the audience and it’s Black people, it’s white people, Asian, Latin, and we’re all here just to enjoy ourselves,” Ellington said. “It’s not about who believes in what. For these three hours, we are here with this one goal in mind: To share this story and to be in this experience together, to see us on stage — different backgrounds, different communities — all coming together to tell the story and showing what is possible if we all just come together.”

Theater is all about telling human stories, Ellington said. “Hamilton” specifically shows how people’s decisions got America to where it is today: A country where a man of color can play a president.

“It doesn’t matter who’s playing the role, we’re getting the story out,” Ellington said.

Ellington said he hopes “Hamilton” inspires every audience member.

“I’ve actually had grown people tell me that seeing the show … has inspired them to get back into acting,” Ellington said. He said he gets tagged in social media posts from time to time when people book their first regional acting gig.

“That is the joy, I would say for any actor, is to have someone say, ‘I saw you and… now I’m doing it too,’” he said. “It’s all about paying it forward. It’s a joy for me, getting messages like that.”

“Hamilton” runs at the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center now through May 21. Get more information, here.