DrMonicaDeMoneco said: "
Is Odom Jr. really that big of a draw to drive up ticket sales??? In my opinion, no. I think the name Hamilton has a bigger draw. People want to see the show, not necessarily the actors in it"
That’s certainly your opinion, but the numbers do not lie. Considering the last time they posted a gross over $3M was Thanksgiving 2021, it’s safe to say that Odom Jr.’s return is an EVENT, especially considering he telegraphed having moved beyond the role in the past. In the intervening 10 years, he’s also gone on to pick up two Oscar noms, two Golden Globe noms, three Emmy noms, two Grammy noms, and two more Tony noms. The man is an unstoppable force.
What’s great about Leslie is that he has parlayed his success into all of these different mediums and passion projects. One example is Purlie Victorious - he had been courted to do the musical version, but instead pushed to do the original play because he revered Ossie Davis and his original language (which the musical is lacking). Even though it wasn’t a runaway success on Broadway, it still payed dividends in that it was able to help Kara Young FINALLY get her first Tony, as well as a recording of the performance by PBS for posterity, so now the show has an expanded audience and eternal life.
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