Review: Hamilton with Leslie Odom Jr.

Longevity isn’t an easy thing for musicals to achieve. There are very few productions like Les Mis or Phantom, so when one comes along its special. There’s no doubt that Hamilton was the biggest musical of the 2010s, and arguably the 21st century. Last year, it celebrated 10 years since opening on Broadway and 5 years since being added to Disney+. Adding a musical to a streaming service could have been a risky move.

Instead, it bought a new audience to Hamilton who were desperate to see it performed live. It’s been on the West End since 2017, and recently completed a UK tour which took in 12 cities. 

I saw Hamilton in 2021 after falling in love with the filmed production in Lockdown. I also went to see it on tour in Liverpool last year. I do enjoy going to see the same theatre production multiple times (I may have seen Cabaret 4 times), but I didn’t have any plans to  go to Hamilton again this summer. That was until it was announced Leslie Odom Jr was going to be reprising the role of Aaron Burr in the West End. 

The original casts of musicals can sometimes be fetishised and over-romanticised, which is easily done when they are the on the cast recordings that fans listen to long after the cast has finished.

In the case of Hamilton, its hard not to hold the powerhouses who debuted the musical’s iconic roles to an insane standard. Every single of one them has earned their place in Broadway history, none more so than Odom Jr. He made Hamilton’s foil the ultimate anti-hero, oozing with charisma and providing powerful vocals. Odom Jr reprised his Burr in New York last year for the 10th anniversary celebrations, and I was really pleasantly surprised to see him decide to do a stint in London.

My expectations were high, but my god were they met. Odom Jr. is without a doubt the most talented performer I have ever seen on the stage. His vocals were note perfect despite running laps on the stage, with slick dancing to boot. What really impressed me was the balance between delivering the iconic lines exactly the way he did 11 years ago, but bringing in a new zeal. There was no sense that this was a fan service or even an exercise in vanity. It’s clear that Odom Jr. loves playing Burr and was having tremendous fun revisiting the character that made his name. Wait For It, The Room Where It Happens and Dear Theodosia are my three favourite songs in the musical, so I was almost nervous to hear them done by Odom Jr. in case my expectations weren’t met. I had no reason to be apprehensive. That performance will stay with me for a long time. 

The rest of the production also somehow felt bigger and better than the other times I’ve seen it. It just felt that bit brighter and more intense.

The cast were all incredibly talented, and not afraid to share the stage with an original cast member. What also made it particularly special was the audience. I have literally never heard a louder theatre. The cheer when Odom Jr. walked onto the stage felt louder than when Harry Styles walked out at Wembley. I was a tad worried that they might not let the cast perform properly, but everyone managed to cheer as loud as they possibly could for the ideal length of time. The applause wasn’t reserved for Odom Jr. After Bente Mulan finished Burn the audience exploded, and I could hear actual sobbing around me during It’s Quiet Uptown. You could tell everyone there was a proper fan, and loving every second. 

Leslie Odom Jr. returning to Hamilton is proof of not only how talented he is, but what a truly incredible piece of theatre Hamilton is. Every note and every step was perfection. If you can grab a last minute ticket while Odom Jr. is performing, do not throw away your shot. 

Written by, Eleanor Patamia