One of Philly’s best-known crooners sings a holiday tune in the latest Apple TV+ special.
“Hannah Waddingham: Home for Christmas” hit the streamer on Wednesday ahead of the Thanksgiving weekend. Though the holiday special naturally centers on Waddingham, the British star of “Ted Lasso,” it features transatlantic talent including Leslie Odom, Jr.
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Odom joins Waddingham for a duet of “Please Come Home for Christmas,” the bluesy ballad originally recorded by Charles Brown in 1960. But this is hardly Odom’s first foray into seasonal music. The actor, who grew up in East Oak Lane and attended the Philadelphia High School for Creative and Performing Arts, has recorded two holiday albums of his own. “Simply Christmas” was released in 2016, followed by “The Christmas Album” in 2020.
In the special, Odom and Waddingham sing together on the stage of the London Coliseum, holding hands through some of the performance.
“I literally look like I’ve won a competition,” she told the Los Angeles Times. “‘Please Come Home for Christmas’ was on Leslie Odom Jr.’s album (‘Simply Christmas’), and it made my head go dizzy. I thought, ‘I have to sing that with him.'”
Odom’s appearance was also a boon for Waddingham’s daughter, who is apparently a big “Hamilton” fan. Odom won a Tony for his role as Aaron Burr in the hip-hop musical.
“I asked my daughter who she would like me to sing with, and she’s obsessed with ‘Hamilton,'” Waddingham told The Hollywood Reporter. “I had barely finished my sentence, and she went, ‘Please, can we have Leslie Odom Jr., mummy?’ And I went, ‘I really don’t know because he’s super busy and on the other side of the world, but I’m going to ask.’ And the thrill to get Leslie was just insane.”
It’s been a busy month for Odom, who also released his fifth studio album, “When a Crooner Dies,” last week. He is currently starring in a limited Broadway revival of the comedic play “Purlie Victorious” through early 2024. “The Exorcist: Believer,” which stars Odom and is a direct sequel to the 1973 horror classic, debuted in October.