Leslie Odom, Jr. Returns To Broadway’s ‘Hamilton’ This Year
Leslie Odom, Jr., is heading home—if you can appreciate that he’s at home on a Broadway stage. The Hamilton star will return to the show that made him a breakout star for a limited run celebrating the groundbreaking musical’s 10th anniversary.
Odom, Jr., 43, won a Tony for Best Actor in a Musical as Aaron Burr in the show which made creator Lin-Manuel Miranda and much of its cast famous. The Philly native is a multitalented performer who also starred on the beloved (if short-lived) TV show Smash, which was set in the world of Broadway. He was recently nominated for another Best Actor award for Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch and played Sam Cooke in Regina King’s directorial debut, One Night in Miami.
“When I saw Leslie perform ‘The Room Where It Happens’ at the first act two workshop of Hamilton, I knew I was witnessing a historic moment,” Jeffrey Seller, the production’s lead producer told Variety. “How lucky we are that Leslie is returning to Hamilton and bringing his indelible Burr back to Broadway.”
Odom, Jr., has been associated with Hamilton since its off-Broadway debut. It hit Broadway in 2015 and became a cultural sensation due to its innovative storytelling about real people in American history, its rich hip-hop-inflected soundtrack, and its diverse casting. Odom left the show in July 2016, on the same night Miranda did.
“Returning to Hamilton is a deeply meaningful homecoming,” Odom said. “I’m so grateful for the chance to step back into the room — especially during this anniversary moment — and to revisit this brilliant piece that forever changed my life and the lives of so many.”
Hamilton ultimately won 11 Tony Awards and a Pulitzer Prize. The original cast included Daveed Diggs (Snowpiercer, Star Trek: Prodigy) and Renee Elise Goldsberry (Girls5eva).
Odom, Jr. will return for shows from Sept. 9 through Nov. 23.
