It’s a good day to be a musical fan, as one theatre legend has announced his return to Hamilton for a limited West End run.
American performer Leslie Odom Jr. made his Broadway debut in 1998, taking on roles in productions such as Rent, Dreamgirls, and Jersey Boys, but it was his portrayal of Aaron Burr in Hamilton that really put him on the map.
He first played the third US vice president in Lin-Manuel Miranda’s 2014 off-Broadway production, with his subsequent Broadway run earning him a best actor Tony Award, plus a Grammy for best musical theatre album that same year.
Now, it’s been confirmed that Odom, 44, will make his London West End debut in 2026, reprising the part that he originated in New York for a nine-week season.
The run at the Victoria Palace Theatre will begin on July 3 and continue until September 5, and it comes after Odom returned to the show for a 12-week season last autumn.
Producer Cameron Mackintosh said as the announcement was made public: ‘When Jeffrey Seller first invited me to see Hamilton during its New York tryout at the Public Theatre over 10 years ago, I was knocked out by Leslie Odom, Jr.’s electric performance as Aaron Burr opposite Lin-Manuel’s unforgettably charismatic Alexander Hamilton.
‘So, I’m absolutely thrilled that London will now be able to share the experience of Leslie for a short season, joining the brilliant new cast we have playing this revolutionary musical at the Victoria Palace Theatre.’
Odom added that ‘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!’, he declared. ‘I am thankful to Cameron Mackintosh and Jeffrey Seller for the invitation to make my West End debut with this fabulous company.’
Odom said he ‘just can’t wait’ to ‘cross the ocean’ to bring his version to UK audiences, having learned that international fans love the show ‘just as much, if not more’ than he does.
In the current cast, Jay Perry plays Aaron Burr alongside Alex Sawyer as Alexander Hamilton.
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Other performers are Bente Mulan as Eliza Hamilton, Emily-Mae as Angelica Schuyler, Jasmine Jia Yung Shen as Peggy Schuyler/Maria Reynolds, Jonathan Andrew Hume as George Washington, Yeukayi Ushe as Marquis De Lafayette/Thomas Jefferson, Jordan Castle as Hercules Mulligan/James Madison, Jordan Benjamin as John Laurens/Philip Hamilton, and Daniel Boys as King George III.
For select performances, Alexander Hamilton is played by Adam J. Bernard.
Further cast members for the upcoming season are yet to be announced.
Following today’s news, Hamilton fans can barely contain their excitement, with @notrllyapilot writing on X: ‘Leslie Odom Jr. on west end hamilton this year?? I gotta see that’.
‘LESLIE ODOM JUNIOR IS COMING TO THE WEST END I AM ON DA FLOOOOOOOOOR’, posted @Txnhxssyy.
‘i need to see leslie odom jr on the west end but hearing him sing in person i will sob so badly i literally just sob at how beautiful his voice is now,’ an emotional @LIBSGOTTOEVOLVE wrote.
@matildasvincent stated that they will be there for one of his shows ‘no matter what,’ while @ismisecolleen asked everyone to keep them in their ‘thoughts and prayers’ as they attempt to get tickets.
How to get tickets
If you’re hoping to secure tickets as well, you should sign up via the show’s website before 12 noon on Wednesday, March 11, for priority booking.
Priority booking for Odom’s engagement will then open at 11am on Thursday, March 12, and general booking will open at 11am on Friday, March 13.
What is Hamilton about?
Hamilton tells America’s Founding Father Alexander Hamilton’s life story through a score blended with hip hop, rap, jazz, and blues composed from 2008 to 2015.
The musical moves through his involvement in the American Revolution and the country’s early political history, casting non-white actors as the historical figures.
Miranda previously described the show as being about ‘America then, as told by America now.’
From the outset, Hamilton received universal acclaim. At the 70th Tony Awards, it broke records with 16 nominations, winning 11, and received the Pulitzer prize for drama in 2016.
In 2020, Disney+ released a filmed version of the Broadway production, which, according to streaming data, was watched by 2.7million American households within the first 10 days.
Hamilton has since gone global, with several North American and international tours in the UK and Ireland, as well as Australia.
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