presenting spamilton

Hilarious Hamilton parody incites a comedic revolution at the Hobby Center

As the old show biz adage goes: you haven’t really made it on Broadway until the parody of your show arrives in Houston. While we might have just might completely made up that particular saying, that doesn't make it any less true.

For evidence look no further than the arrival of Spamilton: An American Parody to the Hobby Center’s Zilkha Hall. The hit OffBroadway musical comedy that lovingly spoofs Hamilton proves that just because a show changed the face of Broadway doesn’t mean it can’t take a light comic roasting.

Created, written, and directed by Gerard Alessandrini, whose Forbidden Broadway has been a hit in its own league since the '80s, this affectionate parody of both Hamilton and musical theater in general tells the story of a very famous writer/director/star trying to save Broadway from mediocrity and oblivion.

With Hamilton-centric songs like "Lin-Manuel as Hamilton” and "Daveed Diggs - The Fresh Prince of Big Hair,” as well as general Broadway skewering numbers like "Book of No More Mormons,” "Ticket Beggar Woman," and "Broadway Assassins,” this singing, dancing comedy company won’t waste its shot to parody hit musical theater whenever they can.

In fact, Hamilton creator, Lin-Manuel Miranda, will find himself in good satire company during the show, as Beyoncé, Audra McDonald, and Stephen Sondheim get a gently parody prodding as well, along with the Hamilton collection of Founding Fathers.

Along the way, look for quick change costume switches (the only female cast member, Ani Djirdjirian, does approximately 15 a show), an onstage musical director playing the piano, some serious comic hip hop moves, and puppets.

The show has won lots of critical acclaim in New York, but one non-critic’s twitter testimonial succinctly says it all: “I laughed my brains out.” And who gives the production such a one-line rave? Just some dude named Lin-Manuel Miranda.

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Spamilton: An American Musical Parody runs now through June 9. For tickets and information, visit the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts.

There will be puppets in Spamilton along with cast memebers: Chuckie Benson, Ani Djirdjirian and Datus Puryear.

Spamilton tour: Chuckie Benson, Ani Djirdjirian and Datus Puryear

Photo by Roger Mastroianni

There will be puppets in Spamilton along with cast memebers: Chuckie Benson, Ani Djirdjirian and Datus Puryear.

theater comedy

A Roman Holiday (Season)

All roads lead to Houston museum's blockbuster exhibit of Imperial Rome

Photo courtesy of Museum of Fine Arts, Houston

The Museum of Fine Arts Houston presents "Art and Life in Imperial Rome: Trajan and His Times" ("Statue of Trajan" Minturno, Italy, 2nd century, marble, National Archaeological Museum, Naples)

Houston's holiday season will have a distinctly Roman feeling this year, as the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston is bringing the glory of the Gladiator era to Texas. On November 2, 2025 through January 25, 2026 the MFAH presents the monumental new exhibition “Art and Life in Imperial Rome: Trajan and His Times.”

Featuring 160 objects of antiquity, including marble sculptures, frescoes, mosaics, delicate glass vessels, and exquisite bronze artifacts, the exhibition will transport visitors back in time to the Roman Empire during a flowering of art and architecture. The MFAH partnered with the Saint Louis Art Museum to organize the exhibition, which will showcase many pieces that have never been on view in the U.S.

While Emperor Trajan might not be the most famous — or in some cases, most infamous — of the Roman emperors, he ruled between 98 and 117 C.E. during the empire’s height and was the second of the so-called “Five Good Emperors” of the Nerva-Antonine dynasty. He was also the first emperor born outside of present-day Italy, in what is now Andalusia, Spain. During his reign, he granted citizenship and rights to some peoples from conquered lands. The exhibition will explore how this time period expanded what it meant to be a Roman and how art reflected Rome’s power and promoted the empire’s values and ideals.

$\u200bThe Museum of Fine Arts Houston presents "Art and Life in Imperial Rome: Trajan and His Times"$

Photo courtesy of Museum of Fine Arts, Houston

The Museum of Fine Arts Houston presents "Art and Life in Imperial Rome: Trajan and His Times" ("Statue of Trajan" Minturno, Italy, 2nd century, marble, National Archaeological Museum, Naples)

From statues of prominent men and women of the era, including Trajan, to vivid frescoes and furnishing from the villas of Pompeii, the objects in the exhibition will tell fascinating cultural and political stories of life in imperial Rome. To add context to the artworks and objects of antiquity, the MFAH will recreate a section of Trajan’s Column, which was a towering pillar with a spiraling narrative frieze, one of the few monumental sculptures to have survived the fall of Rome.

“Art and Life in Imperial Rome: Trajan and His Times” brings such a wealth of objects to Houston thanks to unprecedented loans from the renowned antiquities collections of Italian museums including Museo Nazionale Romano, the Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Napoli, the Parco Archeologico di Ostia, and the Musei Vaticani. It would would likely take months of travel across Italy to see this much art.

“This is truly a rare opportunity for U.S. audiences to experience spectacular objects from this glorious era of the Roman Empire,” said Gary Tinterow, director and Margaret Alkek Williams chair of the MFAH, in a statement. “We are enormously grateful to our colleagues in Rome, Naples, and Vatican City for lending these treasures to us and broadening the appreciation of Italy’s cultural heritage.”

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