Thanks to HBO's Girls, mentioning the words "Allison Williams" and "singing" in the same sentence cause shudders and bring back memories of second-hand embarrassment. Now that the comedienne is about to star in a live televised musical on NBC, it's time to put that to rest once and for all. Allison Williams can sing & she will rock Peter Pan Live. I can prove it.
The character she plays on Girls does not do justice to the actress' vocal talent and range. The role of Peter Pan in the 1954 adaptation is music heavy and vocally demanding for any young woman who wins the part. We've all seen clips of the NBC special and those of us who are really dedicated have watched the Making Of special in which Christopher Walken, who plays Captain Hook, gave Allison Williams his blessing and said she had a voice that was "a gift from God." That's pretty high praise. Brian Williams may go viral for slow-jamming the news, but in this arena, his daughter is the pro.
This may be Williams' first time donning a British accent, but this is not her first time carrying a tune with success. Brace yourselves, I'm going way back. Back to when Allison Williams was a student at Yale performing with the student improv group Just Add Water and making videos with her friends. You may recognize some of these videos and not even realize that you knew who this girl was way back then.
That's Why I Chose Yale
I've had this song stuck in my head since 2010 when it was released. Seriously, I remember watching it and feeling pangs of regret for first time that I never considered the Ivy League. Allison Williams isn't the only recognizable face in this admissions video. The star is Alpha House's Kobi Libii. Youtube sensation Sam Tsui plays a major role. Even in the hopeful crowd is Andrew Law, who plays Owen on HBO's Looking and also writes for Late Night With Seth Meyers. I cut the above clip to Allison's biggest solo, but definitely keep watching. It's ambitious, hilarious, and features one of my absolute favorite activities — choreography that resembles the electric slide
Her College Musical
Oh, the things we make in school. This short webseries was adapted into a feature film that can be streamed online. Allison Williams plays a Teaching Assistant and above is her big number "Man Child Syndome" — oddly reminiscent of her future role as the boy who didn't grow up? Perhaps.
"Tik Tok"
Instead of watching Marnie Michaels' cringe-worthy performance of "Stronger" on Girls, watch this. Ke$ha was never meant to be taken seriously, and this video got Allison Williams noticed by the internet.
"Breaking Free"
Look, I get it. High School Musical was really big back in the mid 2000s and everybody was trying to parody it or cover it. Here's the future Peter Pan again with Sam Tsui.
"Hallelujah"
I think every artist who has ever dabbled in covers has to do the Leonard Cohen song. It's right up there with "Landslide" and "Over the Rainbow," in my opinion.
"Mad Men Theme... With A Twist"
This! This is it! If this doesn't prove to you that Allison Williams has got the chops to handle Peter Pan Live, I don't know what will. "Tik Tok" may have achieved Allison Williams some viral fame, but this mash-up of RJD2's "A Beautiful Mine" and "Nature Boy," which was made famous today by Moulin Rouge but first recorded by Nat King Cole, is much cooler.
Girls
I would be remiss if I didn't include at least one performance from Allison Williams' hit HBO series. This is earlier and gives you a taste of the character and now you know that the, as Elijah put it, "stiff but hopeful" thing is just an act. It's nowhere near the quality of her Season 3 duet with Desi, but then you have to deal with her friends being rude in the background.
