Video: Leslie Odom, Jr. & Company Celebrate Opening Night of PURLIE VICTORIOUS on Broadway

I will remember it and you and you forever

Hello, I'm Richard Ridge for Broadway World. Leslie Odom Jr. has returned to Broadway alongside a stellar cast

including Carrie Young and J.O. Sanders, in Ozzie Davis's landmark play, Pearly Victorious, directed by Kenny Leon

and we're here on the opening night, Red Carpins. So, first of all, what does this honor mean to you, personally

and what does it mean to being back on Broadway? I went going to Broadway shows for 20 years

The first Broadway show was the Broadway show I was in at the Niederlanda Theater

Broadway means something to me. It's the standard of our industry. And Mr. Davis means something to me, you know

and Ruby D, not for nothing. We named our kid Lucille Ruby for a reason

you know. So this is just a combination of so many things that are dear to me

This play, Kenny Leon, this company of artists now, Nicolette, alongside me producing

this community, you know, these sort of 10 blocks or whatever It just a just a a really bright spot and a high point in my life

and I will remember it and you and you forever. What's made this so special for you with working on this

That man right there? That him, him right there. That's what makes it so special

It makes it so special because of Heather Alicia Sims. It makes it special because of Billy Eugene Jones

Vanessa Bell Callaway, Bill Timoie, Noah Robbins, Noah Pizek, like Jay O. Sanders, it is a, it is working with these incredible artists feels like a masterclass every single night

And it feels like, it feels like I'm less learning from these beautiful people

And also just honoring Ozzie Davis's words. It really, there's really something there

There's really something about that that this play is. being done 62 years after its original commercial Broadway production and we're getting to do it

I mean, I feel incredibly filled with gratitude to be able to step into this every night

Hi! This is what happens here, see? I am so excited. I cannot wait to hit the stage

I can't wait for my family to come. I can't wait for all the rest of the people to come

So, yeah, no, it's exciting. I am overjoyed to be doing this play What made this so special for you Being back on Broadway you know since Dream Girls and then working with Kenny Leon and with meeting and working with this incredible cast and the way it just all fell together for me

It's a humbling and a blessed experience. It really is. First off, I saw excerpts from it in 1964

I was 11 years old. Do the math. I've been around a while

And I'm excited because we're able to talk about things about things that concern us all about race, but there's very little way to really talk about

that, especially in a way with mixed audiences where people really feel safe

But laughter and the comedy of this through Asi Davis's brilliant script, give us a way to

dive into it. And as you know from having seen it, I go headfirst into this

But it's a cast of fantastic actors and great friends, and I'm just really, really pleased to be here

Working with this company of actors and Kenny Leon is your director. I know, I know

It's like a troop. It's a veritable troupe of just geniuses. And I can't believe I get to be a part of it

And it just being on stage when it moving and when it zipping along and when the lines are just flowing it like being in a band it so fun it so fun A Broadway band A Broadway band Yeah we say Kenny you like to say it like there nine strings but one guitar

and we all try to strum it accordingly. Yeah. It is opening night

How excited to you? Terribly, terribly excited. I want to do that

I wanted that British thing where they use harbour words. If I'm like, I'm awfully happy

I'm terribly excited. But you are, right? I am. This is really, really great

It's a great job. Particularly in these times, everything on camera, everything on microphone is struck work right now

So I have a gig, but I have this gig with these people in this play

It's an extraordinary time. What's made this so special for you with working on Pearlie Victorious

Well, a few things. One of the things is one of my best friends in the world, Leslie Odom Jr., is leading our production

and I get the incredible honor of standing by for him. He'll come out, he'll probably say something to the effect of he begged me to do it

He didn't have to beg very hard because, you know, you got Kenny. You got Kara. You got all these amazing, amazing people that I've been wanting to work with for so long

And, yeah, so it's really wonderful. But I also got to say, my baby girl was born yesterday

I still have the tag to get into the hospital. So I'm also thankful that the show is not a three-hour production

It's quick. It's fast and it's funny. And it's something I think we all need

So you're a dad? And it's opening night. And it's opening night. Yeah, we've had a couple opening nights

She came on a Monday. She really understands that that was the day. I needed her to come