Let’s talk about the character he owns: Aaron Burr. Not the most sympathetic guy in history, right? He shot Hamilton. But Odom Jr. plays him as the ultimate “I told you so” friend—the one who waits, calculates, and then explodes. When he sings “Wait for It,” you don’t root for Hamilton anymore; you root for the guy who’s quietly dying inside. (Side note: I’ve definitely used that song as a personal anthem during queueing at the post office. You should try it.)
Here’s the ironic twist: Odom Jr. hates waiting. In interviews, he’s said he’s more of a “Hamilton” type—impulsive, hungry, always pushing. Yet he made a career out of playing the patient antagonist. It’s like an actor who’s terrified of heights playing a mountain climber, and it’s brilliant. He brings that contradiction to the stage: a man who’s both steely and vulnerable. And let’s be honest, we all know someone like that. Or we are that someone.
What’s Different About the West End?
If you’ve seen the Disney+ version, you’ve seen the Broadway staging—clean, tight, perfect. The West End production? It’s a bit wilder. The orchestra hits harder, the accents are a glorious mix of posh and gritty, and the stage feels smaller, like the revolution is happening in your living room. Odom Jr. leans into that chaos. He told The Guardian that London audiences “sit on their hands until the final note, then erupt.” Talk about pressure—imagine holding a room of stone-faced Brits until “The Room Where It Happens.”
Leslie Odom, Jr. Returns as Aaron Burr for Limited West End Run of
I watched a preview clip where he delivers “Wait for It” with a tear that doesn’t fall. It just hangs there, suspended, like a threat. The whole theater gasped. That’s the thing: Odom Jr. doesn’t need to shout to be heard. He uses silence like a weapon. And against London’s notoriously quiet crowds? That’s a superpower.
