Leslie Odom Jr. talks 'Purlie' Tony nomination, PBS airing, music ahead of visit to Basie
As Broadway's groundbreaking "Hamilton" itself asks: What comes next?
That's also what Leslie Odom Jr., who won a Tony Award for his portrayal of Aaron Burr in the 2015 Lin-Manuel Miranda smash hit, asked himself as he mulled a return to the Great Bright Way.
The answer, it turned out, was this season's revival of Ossie Davis' "Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch," helmed by Kenny Leon. Odom Jr. earned a 2024 Tony Award nomination for Best Lead Actor in a Play for his portrayal of the title role.
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"Lin had given all of us that were lucky enough to be part of the original company of 'Hamilton' the greatest challenge that any of us had ever had," Odom Jr. said. "Lin gave us a bar to reach, he gave us a really tall order. We had to train and imagine ourselves and believe ourselves tall enough to to reach that bar. After having done that, I was looking for something that would be harder than that, which I didn't think would be easy to find. Finally, 'Purlie Victorious' was that challenge."
Odom Jr. says that he needed all the experience he garnered from "Hamilton" ? as well as the 2020 Regina King-helmed film "One Night in Miami," his work on the 2022 film "Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery," the 2023 film "The Exorcist: Believer," television appearances and everything else he had done in between, including the release of multiple new albums including 2023's "When A Crooner Dies" ? to mold his performance in the title role of "Purlie Victorious." He's also welcomed two children with wife Nicolette Robinson.
'An Evening With Leslie Odom Jr.'
Odom Jr. says all of that experience also is key to his concert dates.
"It's really just making sure that we are able to be a little bit better than we were last night. As long as it feels like progression, as long as it feels like 'go harder, dig deeper,' then I'm happy," he said.
He visits the Count Basie Center for the Arts in Red Bank on May 26.
"It's always nice to come back to (concerts) after playing a character for a little while, so after the 'Purlie' run, I was so excited to have the open arms of these audiences and to be back on stage with the band," he said. "It's a chance to sing, it's a chance to express myself in a way I haven't gotten to in a while."
The evening will feature works from across Odom Jr.'s career, from Broadway showtunes to jazz standards, original music and more.
"It's like hanging out with old friends," he said.
'Purlie Victorious' on PBS
"Purlie Victorious" was taped and debuts at 9 p.m. on Friday, May 24, on PBS, as part of the station's "Great Performances: Broadway's Best" series.
“This show’s enduring significance and lasting impact makes it a perfect fit for a national audience,” said "Great Performances"executive producer David Horn on the station's website.
Odom Jr. is happy that the production, which earned six Tony Award nominations in all, was preserved and will be shared across the country. The Tony Awards are set for Sunday, June 16.
"We were able to really land on something that felt special and the wonderful thing and the sad thing about theater is that it's ephemeral, that it's this thing that's slipping away while you're doing it. Very rarely are they captured, so the fact that we could capture it for PBS is meaningful," he said, adding that growing up in Philadelphia, he was first exposed to Broadway and opera and other artforms via PBS' programming.
GO: "An Evening With Leslie Odom Jr."; 7 p.m. May 26, Count Basie Center for the Arts, 99 Monmouth St., Red Bank. For tickets, $35 to $99, and more information, visit thebasie.org/events/an-evening-with-leslie-odom-jr.
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Leslie Odom Jr. talks Purlie Victorious on PBS, Tony Award nomination
