It’s a wonderful thing that, thanks to my Disney+ subscription, I can watch a full production of Hamilton with the original cast anytime I want. Having said that, being able to see the show with any cast live on a Broadway stage would still be a bucket-list-level experience for me. It’s now got me checking my schedule and my bank account because fans will once again have the chance to see Hamilton with one of its original stars, but not for long.
This morning, the official X account of the Hamilton musical announced that Leslie Odom Jr., who originally won a Tony Award for his role as Aaron Burr, will be returning to “the room where it happens.” Unfortunately, fans who want to see him will only have a limited amount of time, as he’ll only be appearing at shows between September 9 and November 23 of this year.
Not surprisingly, fans are freaking out a little. Odom left the show in the summer of 2016, alongside two of the other original Hamilton cast members, Phillipa Soo and creator Lin-Manuel Miranda. Miranda reprised his role as Alexander Hamilton a couple of times after officially leaving Broadway, most recently for some shows in Puerto Rico as part of a fundraiser in the wake of Hurricane Maria back in 2019.
For those of us who can’t make it to a Broadway stage, at least we have Hamilton on Disney+. The filmed production was originally designed to be a theatrical release, but during the global pandemic, the decision was made to move the release date up and put it on Disney+. The show debuted on July 3, 2020.
Interestingly, that show also included an original cast member reprising his role. Jonathan Groff, who played King George III, had already left the show prior to the filming of the production. He returned to play the role for two nights just to make sure the entire original cast was united. I’m sure everybody was quite excited to see the cast together again, except possibly the first two rows, whom Groff accidentally spit all over.
Hamilton celebrates its 10th anniversary on Broadway this year, and it appears that Odom’s return is at least in part meant as part of an anniversary celebration. Most Broadway shows don't last this long. The fact that Leslie Odom Jr. can even return to the role after a decade is a testament to the show's strength. Even without its star-studded original cast, it has remained popular enough to continue to run.
Tickets for Hamilton through the end of Odom’s return are now on sale. Tickets for Odom’s first night back, September 9, appear to already be sold out. They currently run around $200, which is about $50 more than what you can get them for shows taking place before his return.
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