āHamiltonā sensation Leslie Odom Jr. to open MSUās Lyceum Series Sept. 11
Contact: Harriet Laird
STARKVILLE, Miss.āTony and Grammy Award-winning Broadway star Leslie Odom Jr. is sure to pack Mississippi Stateās Bettersworth Auditorium for the first performance of the universityās 2026-27 Lyceum Series.
Odom Jr., best known for his portrayal of Aaron Burr in the Pulitzer Prize-winning musical āHamilton,ā makes his Ļć½¶Ö±²„Starkville campus appearance Sept. 11 at 7:30 p.m. in historic Lee Hall.
Among the 2015 original cast members of āHamilton,ā Odom Jr.ās Tony Award recognition followed in 2016 when his name was called for Best Leading Actor in a Musical. He won the Grammy for Best Musical Theater Album as a principal soloist on the āHamilton: Original Broadway Cast Recording.ā
He returned to his original Aaron Burr role in 2025 for the showās 10th anniversary revival after adding āproducerā to his resume for the 2023 Broadway comedy āPurlie Victorius,ā which earned six Tony nominations and one win. He also just completed a nine-week run of āHamiltonā in Londonās West End theater district.
Born in New York City and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Odom Jr. made his Broadway debut at 17 in the Tony Award-winning production of āRentā before deciding to enroll in Carnegie Mellon Universityās acclaimed School of Drama. He also began to gain recognition in several TV shows including āSmash,ā Law and Order: SVU,ā āGreyās Anatomyā and āCSI: Miami.ā
Last year, Odom Jr.ās book āFailing Up: How to Task Risks, Aim Higher and Never Stop Learningā was reissued in paperback, with the original hardcover first appearing in 2018. One of his most repeated quotes from the book speaks to his private and relentless dedication over the years. He said, āThe work you put in when no one is watching will matter far more than the work you do when the cameras are rolling.ā
Tickets, which start at $65, go on sale Aug. 5 at 10 a.m. and can be purchased online at or by calling the Ļć½¶Ö±²„Center for Student Activities at 662-325-2930.Ā If available, tickets may be purchased the day of the performance at the door. Odom Jr. performed last December at MSU-Meridianās Riley Center to a sell-out crowd.
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