Leslie Odom Jr is crossing the Atlantic this summer to make his West End debut, stepping back into the role of Aaron Burr in Lin-Manuel Miranda’s ‘Hamilton.’ The nine-week strictly limited engagement runs July 3rd through September 5th at the Victoria Palace Theatre, with producers Jeffrey Seller and Cameron Mackintosh sharing the news.
Odom knows this role inside and out. He won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical for his portrayal of Burr, along with a Grammy for his work on the original cast recording. He returned to the part on Broadway last fall for a sold-out 12-week season, and now he’s taking it across the ocean for an international audience.
Odom spoke about the return. “Returning to ‘Hamilton’ and revisiting the role of Aaron Burr with the growth and perspective of time has been a profoundly healing artistic experience. I am having so much fun! I am thankful to Cameron Mackintosh and Jeffrey Seller for the invitation to make my West End debut with this fabulous company. The London production will grant me a few more glorious weeks to share Lin-Manuel’s music with an international audience who, I have learned, love this show as much, if not more, than I. I’m crossing the ocean and I just can’t wait,” he says.
His résumé reaches well beyond the stage. In 2020, he starred as Sam Cooke in the film adaptation of ‘One Night in Miami,’ a performance that earned him Academy Award, BAFTA, Critics’ Choice, Golden Globe, and Screen Actors Guild nominations. He also wrote, composed, and performed the film’s original song “Speak Now,” landing an Oscar nomination and a Critics’ Choice Award for Best Song. His other screen credits include ‘Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery,’ ‘Murder on the Orient Express,’ ‘The Good Wife,’ ‘Abbott Elementary,’ and ‘The Many Saints of Newark.’ He also delivered a Tony-nominated turn in the 2023 revival of ‘Purlie Victorious.’
Odom joins a London company led by Alex Sawyer as Alexander Hamilton, Bente Mulan as Eliza Hamilton, Emily-Mae as Angelica Schuyler, and Jonathan Andrew Hume as George Washington, among others. His return promises to be one of the summer’s hottest tickets on the West End.