After a curtain call at a recent performance of “Hamilton,” Trey Curtis, who stars as Alexander Hamilton, put his arm around J. Quinton Johnson, who had played George Washington. They basked in the applause, shared a laugh and walked together offstage at the Richard Rodgers Theater. A block away, and nearly simultaneously, Vincent Jamal Hooper, who stars as Simba in “The Lion King,” was absorbing the cheers of the 1,700 theatergoers at the Minskoff Theater. It had been about a decade since the three men, now 29, had spent aimless nights in Austin, Texas, riding around in Mr. Johnson’s 2007 Jeep blasting show tunes — dreaming of plays they were still to perform in and music they were yet to write. Today, they are musical theater stars, appearing in some of the most commercially and critically acclaimed productions on Broadway.

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Persons: “ Hamilton, ” Trey Curtis, Alexander Hamilton, Quinton Johnson, George Washington, Richard Rodgers, Vincent Jamal Hooper, Simba, ” Organizations: Richard, Richard Rodgers Theater, Broadway Locations: Austin , Texas