Performer and author Leslie Odom, Jr. is just an Oscar away from joining the hallowed ranks of the EGOT club — winners of the big four entertainment awards: Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony. The latter award, he received for originating the role of founding father Alexander Hamilton’s political rival Aaron Burr in the hip-hop musical/cultural juggernaut, Hamilton.
Odom, Jr. returns to Broadway as a producer and star of the revival of Ossie Davis’ 1961 play Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch. He tells The Treatment that he enjoys seeing audiences’ diverse reactions to the provocative play. He points to the 1996 musical theater phenomenon Rent as the model for the theatrical “trifecta;” a show that is artistically fulfilling, culturally relevant and commercially successful. And he shares what he’s learned from working with Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda.