Leslie Odom Jr. returning to ‘Hamilton’ for limited 10th anniversary run
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Good things come to those who wait for it: Leslie Odom Jr. is returning to Hamilton for a limited run this fall in honor of the hit Broadway musical’s 10th anniversary.
Odom Jr. will be back as Aaron Burr, the Tony-winning role he originated on Broadway in 2015. His performances begin September 9 and run through November 23 at the Richard Rodgers Theatre.
“Returning to Hamilton is a deeply meaningful homecoming,” Odom Jr. says in a statement. “I’m so grateful for the chance to step back into the room—especially during this anniversary moment—and to revisit this brilliant piece that forever changed my life and the lives of so many.”
If you want to be in the room where it happens, a new batch of tickets is now available at HamiltonMusical.com.
Hamilton, written by Lin-Manuel Miranda, officially opened on Broadway August 6, 2015.
House of David, Prime Video’s series about the life of the biblical King David, debuts Thursday with three episodes. It depicts how shepherd boy David is anointed king of Israel while another king, Saul, is on the throne. In that way, show creator Jon Erwin says it’s similar to another epic series about the struggle for power.
“I think it is a bit like Game of Thrones,” Erwin says. “The drama of a boy chosen to be king by this prophet, in a nation that had a king. … That is instant dramatic tension. And it is a battle over this throne, and who is man’s choice? Who is God’s choice? So it does have some of those same story drivers.”
Erwin also feels that House of David tells a story that’s a blueprint for all those that followed.
“Whether it’s Luke Skywalker or Harry Potter, Frodo … the classic hero’s journey, in many ways … has its roots, at least somewhat, in the life of David 3,000 years ago,” he notes.
Newcomer Michael Iskander, who plays David, says he went straight to the source to prepare to portray such a historical figure.
“I always found myself going to … the Bible, and just really delving into who David was as a person,” he says. “What is his character? What is he ultimately seeking in life? And what are the things that got him to where he was?”
Iskander’s background in Broadway musicals, and his family background, also helped prepare him to play David, who’s also a musician.
“I knew that whoever would play David would have to sing the Psalms in Hebrew because it has to be in the original language. It has to be on a lyre. It has to be with that Eastern ornamentation,” he says. “I had a bit of experience in that. I grew up in Egypt. I know what that music sounds like.”
Lily Collins is celebrating all the love this Valentine’s Day with her family.
The Emily in Paris actress took to Instagram to share a selfie with her husband, Charlie McDowell, and their newborn baby, Tove Jane McDowell.
“I truly can’t imagine feeling more love,” she captioned the post. “Valentine’s Day (and every day) just got a whole lot sweeter.”
Collins and McDowell welcomed Tove, their first child together, on Jan. 31 via surrogate.
The new parents shared the news at the time on Instagram and wrote, “Words will never express our endless gratitude for our incredible surrogate and everyone who helped us along the way.”
Since then, they’ve each shared a photo update in their new roles as mom and dad.
McDowell also responded to negative comments that he and Collins have received after welcoming Tove via surrogate.
“In regards to the unkind messages about surrogacy and our path to having a baby — it’s ok to not be an expert on surrogacy,” he wrote in the comments section of the post announcing the birth of their baby.
“It’s ok to not know why someone might need a surrogate to have a child,” he continued. “It’s ok to not know the motivations of a surrogate regardless of what you assume. And it’s ok to spend less time spewing hateful words into the world, especially in regards to a beautiful baby girl who has brought a lot of love into people’s lives.”
He ended his message with, “That’s all for now because she just pooped and I need to change her diaper.”
Collins later replied to McDowell’s comment with three white heart emoji.
McDowell and Collins tied the knot in September 2021 after two years together.
The Robert Pattinson sci-fi flick Mickey 17 took the number one spot at the box office this weekend – but it didn’t exactly turn a profit.
Variety reports the Warner Bros. film, director Bong Joon Ho’s follow-up to the Oscar-winning Parasite, had a budget of $118 million but brought in just $19.1 million in its debut weekend.
It was a weak box office overall for new releases, with the drama Rule Breakers coming in ninth place with $1.6 million and the animated Night of the Zoopocalypse in tenth with just over $1 million. It was a good weekend for recent best picture winner Anora, though, which saw one of its biggest weekend grosses to date with $1.86 million for a seventh place finish.
1. Mickey 17 – $19.1 million 2. Captain America: Brave New World – $8.5 million 3. Last Breath – $4.2 million 4. The Monkey – $3.9 million 5. Paddington in Peru – $3.85 million 6. Dog Man – $3.5 million 7. Anora – $1.86 million 8. Mufasa: the Lion King – $1.7 million 9. Rule Breakers – $1.6 million 10. Night of the Zoopocalypse – $1.1 million
