Kids sing and dance as easily and carelessly as breathing, eating and immediately seeking dirt and grime while wearing nice church clothes.

For those who wish to take those early propensities to a higher level, there are classes, Kindermusik, workshops, summer camps, children's theater and other options. Many kids age into shy self-consciousness. Others may grow to enjoy performing as a hobby, something for spare time as they go on to other studies, other professions. 

A rare few stick with it, and rock it to the top, including kids from here. Former University of Alabama theater student-actors can currently be seen hitting the heights on Broadway in mega-hit "Hamilton" (Michael Luwoye, as Hamilton), in the off-Broadway Barrow Street Theatre smash revival of "Sweeney Todd" (Jake Boyd as Anthony), and in the national tour of Shakespearean musical comedy "Something Rotten" (Nick Rashad Burroughs as The Minstrel). Last fall, UA grad Sonequa Martin-Green became the first black female lead of Gene Roddenberry's legendary franchise, as first officer Michael Burnham in "Star Trek: Discovery," after years on "The Walking Dead," "The Good Wife" and other shows. All those young performers, and other locals and UA grads, are doing exceedingly well.

Yet even rarer are those who soar before they turn double digits.

Nine-year-old Madalen Yarbrough Mills has left Tuscaloosa behind — for now — to open on Broadway. Starting Tuesday, she steps in as Sophie in the hit comedy "School of Rock — The Musical" based on the 2003 Jack Black movie — about a phony substitute teacher, a failed musician, who crafts his fifth-graders into a rocking, self-empowering band — with additional music by Andrew Lloyd Webber.

It's not that much of a leap for the preternaturally confident Madalen. She'd been supported as she moved through lessons and shows, as many parents do, said her mom, Jamie Mills.

In the past few years, the young singer-dancer-actor earned leads as Mowgli in "The Jungle Book" at Tuscaloosa Magnet School Elementary, as James in "James and the Giant Peach" for Tuscaloosa Children's Theatre, and as Charlie in "Willy Wonka Jr." at Birmingham's Virginia Samford Theater last summer. She recently finished the 2017 national tour of "Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas: The Musical," as a Who child.

But before much of that, Madalen upstaged Diana Ross. Mom and daughter traveled to Birmingham's BJCC to see the Motown diva perform Feb. 5, 2016.

"My mom was actually supposed to go with her brother to the concert, but he couldn't go," said Madalen, who was then in first grade at TMS, "so she asked me, and obviously I was like 'Yes, Mommy!' "

As fans do, Madalen began singing and dancing along, even though before the show, she really only knew the Ross hit "Upside Down." Ross saw Madalen, who handed her a bouquet of roses during "Ain't No Mountain High Enough," and later pulled the then-7-year-old up on stage, dancing to the closing jam as the superstar named her band. She introduced Madalen as "Little Diana Ross." On a video shot by Jamie and posted to YouTube that month, Madalen rocks out in bright red top, sparkly black skirt and boots, as if born on stage.

"I guess that's when I realized she really wanted to perform in public," Jamie said. "Are you serious right now? On that stage, in front of all those people, just natural as can be."

Madalen's felt the performing impulse since she was "really little" — unlike she is now — "like 2 or 3 years old. I can't even really remember," she said. Her mom plays a couple of instruments, and had performed in non-musical theater, so she had some idea of the discipline and work. Her daughter was left open to see how far she might go, where those drives might lead.

"We didn’t want her to feel pressure," Jamie said. "We just wanted her to feel natural, go with the flow."

She began formal study at Kindermusik, under Jane Weigel, then with Emily von Redlich at Tuscaloosa Academy, and Karla Hodges and Nikki Bechtel at Tuscaloosa Magnet School Elementary, where she won the lead as Mowgli. The same year she danced with Diana Ross, she played James for Tuscaloosa Children's Theatre. Though he may have seen Madalen and Diana on YouTube before casting her, TCT guest-director Adam Miller said no one on the creative team knew Madalen before the auditions. And Miller's also managing director of Theatre Tuscaloosa, so his awareness of local talent is more comprehensive than most.

"She just walked into that audition and really impressed all of us with her poise, her raw talent," Miller said. "She just has that 'it' factor. Some folks are blessed with natural stage presence, the charisma that could potentially make her a star one day.

"When I cast her, I thought, 'This is our one chance to cast this person in one of our shows.' "

That wasn't hyperbole: Madalen had already been looked at by the "School of Rock" creative teams, but at 7 was still too young to become a union actor. Miller and TCT double-cast James not because they didn't believe in her talent, but they knew that she could potentially be called up to the big leagues any time. But Madalen stayed for the run, following her mother's advice to always be in the show she's in, and not concentrate on the next until it comes along.

"She blew it away throughout the rehearsal process; just a delight," Miller said. "She came in in a wonderful positive mood, always had tons of energy. She had ideas: What if we tried this, what if we tried that ..."

Madalen's one of those prodigies, Miller believes, like natural athletes or virtuoso musicians, who "just seem to come out of the womb blessed."

"She was born to be a part of this industry," he said.

Her story somewhat resembles that of another Tuscaloosa prodigy, Dylan Riley Snyder, who opened on Broadway in 2006, at the mature age of 10, as the young ape-man in Disney's musical "Tarzan." He'd played Tiny Tim for TCT, Dill in "To Kill a Mockingbird" and Michael in "Peter Pan" for Theatre Tuscaloosa, young Pippin and Billy Moore for UA productions of "Pippin" and "Assassins," before moving to New York City with his mom, Ashley Snyder, in 2005. He was 9 at the time, and 10 when he swung on as Tarzan, after rounds of auditions against hundreds of other young actors. He's since spent four years as one of the leads on the Disney Channel comedy "Kickin' It," played Timmy in Todd Solondz's 2009 film "Life During Wartime," done print and TV commercials, Nickelodeon shows, a couple of "Sesame Street" performances, and other film and TV, including parts on "Modern Family" and "Better Call Saul." He played Horace, Buddy and Horace Jr. in the acclaimed nine-part off-Broadway production of Horton Foote's "The Orphans' Home Cycle," for which the entire cast and creative team was honored with a special Drama Desk Award in 2010.

Work such as that could follow for Madalen, but per mom's sage advice, she's focusing on the job in front of her. She was noticed after applying to a number of New York summer performance camps, and sent in video auditions. The "School of Rock" creative team had looked her as far back as two years ago, and Madalen was seen again last May, while still 8 1/2; she turned 9 in December. While on tour with "Grinch," Madalen was asked to send in another video audition.

"I know that Madalen is talented, but so many things have to be in place, a little luck, the look the producers are looking for...." Jamie said. "There's a lot of rejection in the business. (The creative team) had given us some good hints that she was close, but you just never know.

"I thought 'Here we go again; let’s sing this song one more time.' We sent the video in and forgot about it."

Now Madalen's finishing up four weeks of rehearsals and loving every eight-hour day of it.

"You really have to be on top of your stuff," she said. Her role as Sophie is "a lot of dance," re-arranging set pieces to choreographed movement, and she's about to begin understudying the character of Tomika, who takes one of the show's biggest solos. After Madalen's performances begin Tuesday, she'll add understudy rehearsals to her schedule. If the actress playing Tomika takes vacation, or gets sick, or calls in a personal day, Madalen is one of two understudies who may get called up. She's also practicing her piano and learning to play electric guitar, as the kids in "School of Rock" not only sing, dance and act the roles, but play guitars, bass, drums and keyboards for every performance.

As you might guess from the title, Lloyd Webber's score leans toward bombastic rock, looking back toward his "Jesus Christ Superstar" days.

"Normally, the songs sing the kids are more on the pop side," Madalen said. "It's all so amazing. They all play instruments, at least two or three, and they play their instruments live, eight shows a week."

Going backstage for the first time was magical, she said.

"Everything is where it needs to be," Madalen said. As roadie Sophie, she's one of those most responsible for the synchronized set changes. "It's controlled mechanically, but the kids do a lot of stuff. We move some desks, postboards and corkboards," all choreographed to the music. "We set stuff up for everybody, not just for one person, get all the desks together. ... We're roadies, basically.

"It’s very challenging, but you get the hang of it."

To keep up with her education, Madalen has a support system both in-person and online, including tutors, an aunt in Manhattan, and other family and friends helping throughout the six-month run of her contract. And Jamie, an educator, has been home-schooling her to support Madelen's burgeoning career. There could be opportunities beyond July: If she's done an exceptional job at the end of that first contract, it may be renewed. And of course there are other "School of Rock" roles she could step up to, as this is a show actors age and grow out of.

She's been rehearsing roughly eight or so hours per day, with lunch and dinner breaks, in a studio. For tech rehearsals, miked and amped, she'll be with the other new cast members on stage at the Winter Garden Theatre, where "School of Rock" is running. Then put-in rehearsal will feature all the tech and tricks, the lights, hair and all.

"I have to get my hair cut tomorrow," Madalen said. "I'm getting afro-puffs on the sides. It's in the contract that they can do anything to your hair."

"I wasn't too happy about that," Jamie said, laughing.

Even with all that prep, mom and daughter have had time to see several Broadway shows, and plan to do even more. Thursday's her day off, so from the Wednesday matinee until Friday night, she'll have almost two days free. The show runs about two and a half hours, and though the plot partly revolves around the adults, the kids are on stage most of that time.

"It’s a pretty strict schedule for kids, but this is what they love," Jamie said. She's happy Madalen gets to work with other driven young performers like herself. "It's a good fit for her and her personality. There'a lot of energy in the show."

Though it seems almost a silly question, no, Madalen does not get stage fright.

"Not really," she said. "Once you get on, you're just a little nervous, but you keep doing it. It's comforting."

She's aware of some of the difficulties of the show-business life, and while she might want to also be a professor like her mom — Jamie's an associate professor in educational research at UA — Madalen wants to keep playing.

"You can't really depend on someone to give you a job, but I really think I want to do this the rest of my life. I want to make it into a career," she said.

Part of her professional preparation includes courtesy: "Thank you so much for supporting me, friends and family." Prompted, she adds: "Oh. And Roll Tide."

The Winter Garden Theatre is at 1654 Broadway in Manhattan. Tickets range from $59 to $155, through the Winter Garden box office between 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday-Saturday, and noon-6 p.m. Sunday. You can also buy them online at www.telecharge.com, or by calling 212-239-6200. Performances are at 7 p.m. each Monday, Tuesday and Sunday, 2 p.m. Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday, and 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

For more, see www.SchoolOfRockTheMusical.com.