By Salma Rios
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Hancher Auditorium will kick off its 2017-2018 season and the new school year with a bang.

Leslie Odom Jr. will be making his return to Iowa City on Oct. 1 at 7 p.m. in an outdoor concert on the Hancher Green.

Odom has been to the Iowa City area before. This past March, he came to the university as a part of the University of Iowa’s lecture series and spoke about his life before and after the success of Tony award-winning musical Hamilton.

Odom is most well-known for his role as Aaron Burr in the hit musical and Tony-award-winning Hamilton. Hamilton is about the life of Alexander Hamilton, the first secretary of the Treasury and one of the Founding Fathers. The musical follows Hamilton’s life from when he immigrated to America from the Caribbean to his death in the fateful duel against Burr, vice president to Thomas Jefferson and longtime enemy of Hamilton.

Odom played Burr when it was Off-Broadway to its transfer to Broadway at the Richard Rodgers Theater. Odom left the production in July 2016 along with co-stars Lin-Manuel Miranda and Philipa Soo, who played Hamilton’s wife Eliza. His performance as Burr earned him the 2016 Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical. Odom also won a Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album for his work as Burr.

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But before being Burr, Odom played a number of other roles. Odom studied musical theater in college and made his Broadway début at age 17 as Paul in the well-known musical Rent. He then appeared in the ensemble of a Broadway concert version of Dreamgirls.

In 2010, Odom starred as Isaiah Sturdevant in the show Leap of Faith, which transferred to Broadway in 2012. Odom also starred in Off-Broadway shows and workshop shows such as Venice and Witness Uganda. Odom met Miranda and worked with him in a production of Tick, Tick … Boom!, playing the role of Michael.

Aside from his work on Hamilton, Odom has released a début album called Leslie Odom Jr. in June of 2016. In that same year, he also released an album titled Simply Christmas. His Leslie Odom Jr. album garnered a No. 1 spot on Billboard Jazz and No. 147 on Billboard 200. In addition to his successful career, Odom is also a new father to a baby girl.

Iowa City is brimming over with excitement in regard to Odom’s impending concert, and Hancher Executive Director Chuck Swanson shares that excitement. “To be able to see a star like Leslie Odom Jr. is a once-in-a-lifetime experience for many people,” he says. “This is an experience people will remember for the rest of their lives.”

Odom visit to Iowa City is something for all ages to enjoy. Whether old or young, a fan of Hamilton or not, seeing someone such as Odom grace the stage will be one heck of a time.