In short
Preview of Dateline: Missing in America Season 5, focusing on the disappearance of Broadway performer Zelig Williams.
Guest backgrounds
No guests are named in the provided transcript excerpt; it’s hosted by Josh Mankiewicz.
Key claims
Williams, a 19-year-old college student, became a Broadway ensemble performer in Hamilton; by age 28 he was a Broadway veteran planning a two-day dancer audition workshop/boot camp. On October 3, 2024, he disappeared.
Notable examples
References to NYC’s Broadway “big break” dream; Williams described as a “triple threat” (dance, acting, singing) and “studied” his craft.
Written by AI. May contain mistakes. Listen to the episode to check what was said.
Chapters
Tap a time to open that second in VOZelig Williams: A Rising Star
0:18 to 2:16
Discover the story of Zelig Williams, a promising Broadway talent who disappeared.
“New York City has always had a magnetic pull for young, bright-eyed performers looking for their big break, that part in a Broadway show that takes you from obscurity to stardom.”
Transcript
Automatic transcript. May contain errors.0:00Hey, it's Josh Mankiewicz with a preview of Dateline Missing in America. In our podcast's fifth season, we share six new unsolved mysteries. And we're hoping someone listening might have a clue that could help crack one of these cases. Maybe that someone is you. Here's Dateline Missing in America.
0:24New York City has always had a magnetic pull for young, bright-eyed performers looking for their big break, that part in a Broadway show that takes you from obscurity to stardom. Like the song says, if you can make it there, you can make it anywhere. The line missing from that anthem of hope is that most of those would-be stars do not make it there. Those are dreams that a lot of people have, but very few people achieve. You're right. You're definitely right. Zelig Williams was one of those rare success stories. I literally looked at him while he was dancing. I was like, you're going to be a star.
1:09I just knew it. Zelig was just 19 and attending college when he landed a role in the ensemble of a little musical you may have heard of. I am not throwing away my shot. I am not throwing away my shot. Hamilton. What was that like seeing him on stage? Amazing. A legit triple threat. He wanted to perfect his craft, whether it was dance, acting, singing. He truly studied it and wanted to just be the best version of himself. By the time he was 28, Zellig was a Broadway veteran and ready to share what he had learned with the next generation. What's up, y 'all? I've been planning on doing a two-day workshop slash boot camp for dancers on how to audition for a Broadway show.
2:06He would never get the chance to impart all that wisdom. That's because on October 3rd, 2024, Zellig Williams disappeared.
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From the publisher
Hey Dateline fans, here's a special preview of the first episode of Dateline: Missing In America Season 5.
In "The Day Zelig Vanished," Josh Mankiewicz examines the disappearance of Zelig Williams, a 28-year-old Broadway performer who disappeared after leaving his mother's home in Columbia, South Carolina on October 3, 2024, and hasn't been seen since. Listen to the full episode in the 'Dateline: Missing In America' feed - something you hear might jog a memory that could help authorities find Zelig.
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