Leslie Odom, Jr. to return to HAMILTON for limited run

[KevinKlawitter]

Posted: 4/14/25 at 8:45am

Just announced on their social media:

Updated On: 4/14/25 at 08:45 AM

[DramaTeach]

Posted: 4/14/25 at 8:48am

It makes sense for their 10 year anniversary if some others come back too. If it’s just him, it kinda looks like…he couldn’t find anything else? He was absolutely my favorite in the show though, so anyone who gets to see him is lucky.

Updated On: 4/14/25 at 08:48 AM

[thirtythirtyninety]

Posted: 4/14/25 at 8:49am

I can’t believe this is real ! ( it is) this has to be the most surprising theater headline I’ve seen in ages! How on Earth did they entice him to return??

[TennisFan]

Posted: 4/14/25 at 8:50am

DramaTeach said: "It makes sense for their 10 year anniversary if some others come back too. If it’s just him, it kinda looks like…he couldn’t find anything else? He was absolutely my favorite in the show though, so anyone who gets to see him in lucky."

Not an OG, but I could see Mandy coming back since she is almost done with Sunset. 

[steven22]

Posted: 4/14/25 at 8:55am

TennisFan said: "DramaTeach said: "It makes sense for their 10 year anniversary if some others come back too. If it’s just him, it kinda looks like…he couldn’t find anything else? He was absolutely my favorite in the show though, so anyone who gets to see him in lucky."

Not an OG, but I could see Mandy coming back since she is almost done with Sunset."

I’m a big fan of Mandy, but I’d love for KO (Karen Olivo) to return. I never was able to see them as Angelica…

[Kad]

Posted: 4/14/25 at 8:56am

thirtythirtyninety said: "I can’t believe this is real ! ( it is) this has to be the most surprising theater headline I’ve seen in ages! How on Earth did they entice him to return??"

If I had to wager a guess, I’d say money, and a lot of it.

[ColorTheHours048]

Posted: 4/14/25 at 8:57am

I don’t think this is any stranger than, say, Carol Channing returning to Dolly how many times? Even someone like Alexia Khadime (sort of) returned to Wicked in the West End as Elphaba last year. It’s rare a show runs long enough for a performer to A) have the chance to return and B) return in a timeframe that still allows them to actually perform it. Leslie’s vocals are still prime, and he won a Tony for it, so this feels like a nice bit of fate and timing.

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 4/14/25 at 9:03am

I was lucky enough to see him live in this early in the Broadway run. This is a huge get!

[quizking101]

Posted: 4/14/25 at 9:06am

As I got to know him during the run of PURLIE, he seemed like he wanted to distance himself from this role as much as possible since he was doing a lot of new and exciting work (including picking up two Oscar nominations in one year) and so wanted to break the forever association.

I can only imagine the windfall that this will bring in since I can assume they paid him A LOT to come back

[DramaTeach]

Posted: 4/14/25 at 9:08am

I think Lin will return. He posted about it and said, “I can’t wait to see you again.” It’s his baby, and I think he’ll be there for it.

[quizking101]

Posted: 4/14/25 at 9:09am

Also, the lowest price mezzanine tickets are $213.50, with most of the orchestra at $269 and above

[VotePeron]

Posted: 4/14/25 at 9:18am

The fact they only announced Leslie makes me think this is a negotiation tactic to entice the remaining offers to get signed. It is crazy that of all people he is the first. Good for him. 

[Musigamist]

Posted: 4/14/25 at 9:26am

quizking101 said: "Also, the lowest price mezzanine tickets are $213.50, with most of the orchestra at $269 and above"

On TodayTix, you can bypass the queue on BroadwayDirect and tickets start at $166 for those dates. (Haven't gotten in to BD yet to see prices there yet).

[schubox]

Posted: 4/14/25 at 10:23am

thirtythirtyninety said: "I can’t believe this is real ! ( it is) this has to be the most surprising theater headline I’ve seen in ages! How on Earth did they entice him to return??"

$$$

[schubox]

Posted: 4/14/25 at 10:24am

quizking101 said: "As I got to know him during the run of PURLIE, he seemed like he wanted to distance himself from this role as much as possible since he was doing a lot of new and exciting work (including picking up two Oscar nominations in one year) and so wanted to break the forever association.

I can only imagine the windfall that this will bring in since I can assume they paid him A LOT to come back"

Yeah he for sure seemed like he wanted to put this behind him, can only imagine he needed some money and they offered him a ton of it

[inception]

Posted: 4/14/25 at 10:36am

Musigamist said: "quizking101 said: "Also, the lowest price mezzanine tickets are $213.50, with most of the orchestra at $269 and above"

On TodayTix, you can bypass the queue on BroadwayDirect and tickets start at $166 for those dates. (Haven't gotten in to BD yet to see prices there yet)."

Do you get Audience Rewards points for purchases through TodayTix?

I'm tempted,  but with limited time in New York would rather see new shows.

 

[Jonathan Cohen]

Posted: 4/14/25 at 10:43am

This is really cool. I'm curious though to see if this and any other potential return engagements are just a 10th anniversary thing or if the show is transitioning to a phase where stunt casting becomes the new normal?

[quizking101]

Posted: 4/14/25 at 10:46am

Jonathan Cohen said: "This is really cool. I'm curious though to see if this and any other potential return engagements are justa 10th anniversary thing or if the show is transitioning to a phase where stunt casting becomes the new normal?"

I wouldn’t call this stunt casting (in the sense of how CHICAGO has defined it). It’s the milestone anniversary and someone from the established OBC is coming back.

Aside from King George, there are zero roles in HAMILTON that you could “stunt cast” effectively because of the notoriously difficult music, lyrics, and choreography.

[Dirty Rotten Scoundrel]

Posted: 4/14/25 at 10:49am

I imagine they backed up the Brinks truck for this. 

Also I can't help chuckling at some of the comments online saying that him returning is a recession indicator. 

[poisonivy2]

Posted: 4/14/25 at 11:28am

quizking101 said: "As I got to know him during the run of PURLIE, he seemed like he wanted to distance himself from this role as much as possible since he was doing a lot of new and exciting work (including picking up two Oscar nominations in one year) and so wanted to break the forever association.

I can only imagine the windfall that this will bring in since I can assume they paid him A LOT to come back"

Hmm I'm kind of confused by this. LOJ has always spoken with love and appreciation about his Hamilton experience and how many doors it opened for him. He's done a lot of Hamilton-related stuff in the years since, including a pandemic zoom reunion. 

So it's not as if he's ghosted himself completely from the Hamilton family at all. I did hear that he and Lin used to have some beef but they don't seem to anymore.

 

[inception]

Posted: 4/14/25 at 11:42am

poisonivy2 said: "
 I did hear that he and Lin used to have some beef but they don't seem to anymore.

Did they hold a duel?  That's the only honorable way to settle a beef.

 

 

 

Joking

 

[Jonathan Cohen]

Posted: 4/14/25 at 12:20pm

quizking101 said: "I wouldn’t call this stunt casting (in the sense of how CHICAGO has defined it). It’s the milestone anniversary and someone from the established OBC is coming back.

Aside from King George, there are zero roles in HAMILTON that you could “stunt cast” effectively because of the notoriously difficult music, lyrics, andchoreography."

I can't envision Hamilton ever doing stunt casting of non-actors, like having a Real Housewife play Angelica Schuyler. Odom Jr. is at this point, the most qualified person to play Aaron Burr in Hamilton. I was more thinking about stunt casting in the more general sense of bringing in a big name to generate PR and increase revenue for the show. 

Hamilton generally speaking has taken people who are good actors and either made them stars or biggest names. I'm just wondering if they're entering a phase where they're relying more on actors who already famous to increase box office.  

[darquegk]

Posted: 4/14/25 at 12:39pm

Hamilton is about 90% impossible to stunt cast, and it's demanding enough that the "name" people who could drive tickets to the show are such gets of such talent that you wouldn't call them stunt casting per se. If Usher stepped into Burr, it's technically stunt casting, but it's USHER as BURR. Nobody is gonna call him unqualified or a hack. 

The only stung casting that would actually ruffle feathers, while probably also being great, is if they somehow got Eminem for Hamilton. Because, yes, on the one hand, it's a middle-aged white guy in a role traditionally played by a young actor of color, but on the other, Em is the only white guy to ever be considered one of the GOATs of hip-hop, and is the personal inspiration for much of Hamilton the character's flow and diction. It would be controversial, but probably not "Great Comet" levels. It'll also never happen because Eminem doesn't want or need that role and hasn't acted in ten years, so there's that.

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 4/14/25 at 12:39pm

I did hear that he and Lin used to have some beef but they don't seem to anymore.

They certainly did during the negotiations for the filming of Hamilton. When no one knows who will play Aaron Burr in the filming of this (which everyone knew was going to be huge in popularity) 12 hours before filming, it's kind of a big deal. So, that created a lot of tension but once they stepped away and time passed, they were able to be cool again. 

This is excellent casting and a few other originals might join him, who knows? 

Updated On: 4/14/25 at 12:39 PM

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 4/14/25 at 12:50pm

Something tells me Marshall will join the producing team of WARRIORS and complete his EGOT.