‘It comes from the heart’: Tony, Grammy award winning Leslie Odom, Jr. details upcoming Kodak Hall concert

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) — Lots of entertainment coming to Rochester this upcoming weekend including at the Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre .

You may know him for his portrayal of Aaron Burr in the musical “Hamilton.” However, this Friday, Tony and Grammy award winning actor Leslie Odom, Jr. will play the role of himself.

News 8’s Gio Battaglia sat down with the star to hear what is in store.

Gio Battaglia : When you have such an extensive career. You have your own songs. You have songs from roles that you’ve played. How do you kind of piece together a set list that’s cohesive?

Leslie Odom, Jr.: Thank goodness that that when people think of me, I think they do think about a guy that does a lot of stuff. A lot of people’s first introduction to me through Hamilton was kind of a guy that sang a little bit of this, to a little bit of that danced, a little bit acted. And we’ve built on that, obviously, with the TV and the albums and the movies and all that stuff. So, I think people come ready for variety. I just do what feels right to me, what feels true, full to me, and since it comes from the heart, it usually reaches the heart.

Gio Battaglia: You were recently included on the 2024 Time List as “One of the 100 Most Influential People in the World.” How does it feel to have that recognition and have so many people resonate with you?

Leslie Odom, Jr.: The fact that Time, that those people looked at me, and the way that I’ve decided to chart my course, which is, put a premium on things that are important to me. Things like theater, things like independent music and concerts and speaking out. So, I just say it is undoubtedly a more niche path, like a more curated following. But, they’re important to me, and so it was very meaningful that Time Magazine said that the work was important to them too.

Gio Battaglia : What is something that people can expect when they come to the show?

Leslie Odom, Jr.: I think it’s worth… The shows are worth your time. And we also, I really respect the fact that people go to our shows. We often see an intergenerational thing. People my age bring their kids, and they sometimes bring their parents. We’ll see whole families at our shows, and so that’s meaningful to me that people allow us to be a bridge in that way, or that they see something in us that we can contribute to their family conversation that’s happening. So, they can expect that we know these things and we take it really seriously.

Leslie Odom, Jr. comes to the Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre this Friday. Tickets for the show are available on the Eastman Theatre website .

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