Leslie Odom Jr. gets his Philly cheesesteak fix in L.A. and it’s ‘damn good.’ He would not be talking about it if it wasn’t.

Philadelphia still surprises Leslie Odom Jr. The multitalented Broadway star grew up in East Oak Lane but has long lived in Los Angeles. When he returns home once or twice a year, he delights in seeing something new (to him) each time. (Most recently, it was the Rodin Museum.)

The city loves him back: Just last year, Odom was inducted into the Philadelphia Music Alliance Walk of Fame. Since then, he released his fifth studio album, When a Crooner Dies; joined the cast of The Exorcist: Believer; produced and starred in the buzzy revival of Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch; and was named one of Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People of 2024. Ahead of his show at the Miller Theater on May 1, Odom spoke to The Inquirer to chat about Philly pride, livestream theater, and his favorite cheesesteak spot in L.A.

It’s meaningful, but it’s also educational. My relationship with the city continues to grow. I’m getting a backstage view, entering rooms I’ve never been in. I was there a few weeks ago for a small, private event, and I had never been to the Rodin Museum. I didn’t know it was in Philly! It’s just a cool experience to know that there’s places in the city that I’ve never been before.

Usually, I’m there for like a 24-hour kind of thing, and I’m eating at somebody’s house or local place. Jamaica Jerk Hut was somewhere I made sure I stopped by every time I was in town, but it’s been a long time.

It’s salt, pepper, nothing fancy. Actually, there’s a place out in L.A., that we frequent all the time — it’s the best Philly cheesesteak in L.A. It’s this place called Matu. I get my cheesesteak fix once a month. It’s damn good. I would not tell you about it if it wasn’t. I’ve had sort of terrible mock-ups in other places, you know, not worth mentioning. But this one is doing Philly proud.

I remember watching PBS’ Great Performances when I was a kid. We didn’t see New York theater often, we weren’t going to the Metropolitan Opera or Alvin Ailey or the New York City Ballet. Every now and again, we’d see somebody come through Philadelphia, but Great Performances was my ticket to see the best that the American arts had to offer.

Theater is such an ephemeral thing, it’s here, and then it’s gone. The fact that my kids get to turn on Hamilton [on Disney+], this thing that I did almost a decade ago, when I didn’t have kids. They watch me and Uncle Daveed [Diggs] and Pippa [Soo] and Anthony [Ramos], it’s really wonderful. And now the fact that Purlie Victorious will live a life in people’s libraries is a really special thing.

I’ve learned that these are all slightly different things, and they all have value. The live stream is usually rudimentary, with three cameras and edited on the fly. [For Great Performances], they brought in 10 cameras, and they filmed four performances. It really is an edited translation of what we did in the theater. I’ve been on the producing team and part of the editing. It’s been so wonderful trying to translate the real magic that happened in the theater, thanks to great directing from Kenny Leon and writing from Mr. Ossie Davis.

It’s a brand new show that celebrates the new album of all original music, When a Crooner Dies, and my other projects. There’s some seasonally appropriate stuff taken from the Christmas albums. There’s stuff from the first album, my jazz album, there’s stuff from Mr., there’s stuff from Broadway. I’m so excited to bring this show to Philadelphia because so much of who I am was imparted to me on the streets of Philadelphia. I’m just really excited to come back to this glorious city and show you guys what I’ve made of myself and all that she’s given me.

You better believe it. That’s really a companion piece for me now. I sing “Wait for It” because I want to hear it, to be honest. I don’t do a concert without it, that’s for sure.

Leslie Odom Jr. performs May 1 at 7 p.m. at the Miller Theater, 250 S. Broad St., Phila., 215-893-1999 or ensembleartsphilly.org.