Interview: LESLIE ODOM JR. Brings Solo Show to Cerritos Ahead of Broadway Hamilton Return

Leslie Odom Jr. may be best known for originating the role of Aaron Burr in the smash-hit Broadway musical Hamilton—but look a little closer at the 43-year-old Philadelphia native and you’ll see he’s a lot more than “the damn fool that shot him.”

Odom will perform a one-night-only solo concert on August 13 at the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts, southeast of Los Angeles. The performance comes just weeks before the Tony Award-winning star returns to Broadway to reprise his breakout role in Hamilton at the Richard Rodgers Theatre, September 9 through November 26.

An award-winning vocalist, songwriter, author, and actor, Odom made his Broadway debut in 1998 as Paul (a support group member) in RENT when he was just 17. In 2014, he starred alongside Lin-Manuel Miranda and Karen Olivo in a City Center Encores! revival of Jonathan Larson’s Tick, Tick… Boom!  

He’s also a Grammy Award-winning recording artist with five albums to his name—including the jazzy Simply Christmas, which topped the iTunes charts and reached #4 on Billboard’s Jazz chart—and a celebrated screen actor, known for his portrayal of Sam Cooke in Regina King’s acclaimed 2020 Amazon film One Night in Miami.

If that’s not enough, he’s written three books, including the bestselling children’s book, I Love You More Than You'll Ever Know, inspired by his two kids. 

With all that going on, Odom still found time to answer some of BroadwayWorld’s questions ahead of his Cerritos show—including what to expect from the performance, why solo shows are no longer “terrifying” for him, and how he’s a lot more than just “Burr, sir.”

Hi! I just want to say it’s a good thing this is an e-mail interview, because I’d be totally starstruck if this were an in-person thing. Do you get that a lot? People being starstruck?

I get starstruck people every now and then. Sometimes, with really young Hamilton fans, they will be a little starstruck. We move through it! We get the picture, and we keep it moving. All good. 

You’re coming to LA and only stopping at the Cerritos Center? What made you choose this theater? By the way, it’s a gorgeous theater!

Oftentimes, we get these wonderful invitations. And when I can, we say yes! I say “we” because I come with four brilliant musicians and a couple of genius sound technicians with me. And we can’t wait.

What can audiences expect from your solo show—are we getting Broadway Leslie, jazz club Leslie, or a little of everything? Give us a peek into what’s on your setlist.

I really think of myself as a storyteller. And in the same way that I’m trying to create an impactful, memorable, emotional evening in the theater when I am on Broadway, I bring that same intention to the concerts. I want you to laugh, I want to move you if I can, and I want you to leave satisfied, pardon the pun. We do stuff from Hamilton, of course, and we do stuff from the records, and we do stuff from other Broadway shows that I’ve done, and we do jazz stuff, and we do stuff you’ve never heard us do before. Whatever we have to do to surprise and delight you, we are willing to do.

I think a lot of people will come to see you because they love you in Hamilton… but what do you hope they love about you after seeing this show?

What a good question! I hope that people think … I hope that people know I value their time. As a guy who keeps a full schedule, who’s got a family at home, I know the value of your time, and I don’t take it lightly when people choose to spend an evening with me. And so, I want people to leave the show feeling a kind of alignment. I want them to feel happy that they came. 

You’ve played some major cultural icons — Aaron Burr and Sam Cooke. Is it freeing or terrifying to come on stage now as just ... you?

At first, it was terrifying. We started with small shows in New York, right after I left Hamilton. I started shows in the small room. We had a residency at a place in NYC called The McKittrick. And then, I think the first show on the road – it was either in Boston or Utah – and it was a big deal, you know, and I was very nervous. But yeah, it’s been years and years now. I think we’re coming up on 10 years. So, it’s not terrifying anymore. I so look forward to it! I don’t have to pretend to be anybody that I’m not. And neither do you. I can weave in everything that matters to me into an evening that we all can enjoy. I love it now, but it did start out pretty scary. 

You’re going back to Hamilton in September to reprise your role as Aaron Burr (YAY!! Save me a seat?!). What made you decide to reprise your role? And have you ever thought of playing another character? Like, could you even do that???? Or is that blasphemy?!

That is such a funny question. Consider your seat saved! The idea came to mind because there was another idea that fell apart. Lin and his team were planning a one-night-only extravaganza. They were trying to get everybody into town. There were some really exciting venues that were being considered. And I just think schedules made it impossible. In these years since we’ve all left the show, Hamilton has produced more than a few gainfully employed actors, quite a few celebrities. It’s a tough group to try to pin down for one night! Thank goodness we managed to do it for the Tonys this year. That was pretty cool. But anyway, the other thing fell apart, and so we started talking about, well, what else might we do?

Your performance with the original Hamilton cast at the Tonys was my favorite part of the whole show. How emotional was that for everyone involved?

It was pretty emotional. Lin said it best. We got together with nothing more to prove and so much to celebrate. That’s a rare opportunity in a career. I’ve never had that opportunity. So, yeah, it was emotional and joyful.

What’s your go-to music when you’re in the car alone and want to let it all out?

Kendrick, probably. Kendrick usually can provide the inspiration I’m looking for, the advice I’m looking for, the wisdom I’m looking for, the comfort, the release. His discography has it all, really.

I love that, along with everything you’ve done—the Tony Award-winning roles! The movies! The bestselling books!—you also recently wrote a children’s book. Tell me a bit about that.

Oh, thank you so much. Well, you know, when you have kids, you become aware of a whole world that you kind of have ignored as a single person or as a person without kids. So, yeah, we became connoisseurs of, you know, our kids have a library that’s large, larger than ours! We just tried to write a book that they might like to have on their shelf. The fact that it was so warmly and widely received made Nicolette and I feel... as pleased as you might imagine.

What’s next for you?

After the 12 weeks of Hamilton, we’re going on the road with The Christmas Tour! I hope it will become an annual thing! We did it last year and we had a great time. We are headed to new cities this year. If you can’t get to Cerritos, we hope you’ll find us on the road for Christmas. You can check my website or any of the social media platforms for more info. I think that’s everything.