Broadway in houston

Broadway in Houston's new season showcases Hamilton's anticipated return and a golden ticket

If you wasted your shot to see the Broadway phenomenon, Hamilton, when the show became the hottest Houston ticket in 2018, you’ll soon get another chance to join the revolution. The Mischer Neurosciences Broadway at the Hobby Center just announced the lineup of shows for its 2019-2020 season, and America’s favorite treasury secretary will be back the summer of 2020.

Hamilton arrives at the end of a season filled with Tony-winning new musicals as well as beloved revivals, so let’s take an early look at the season of spectacular shows that once again remind us of the power of live musicals.

Cats (October 22-27, 2019)
The season begins with a new look to that audience favorite that helped revitalize the musical industry in the ’80s. There’s something quite remarkable that the fourth-longest running show in Broadway history features a pride of singing cats and is based on a collection of T.S. Eliot poems. Relive all your “Memories” while marveling at this revival’s new sound design, direction, and choreography.

Dear Evan Hansen (November 12-24, 2019)
The buzz on this the six-Tony Awards winner began last year with the early announcement that this high school set show would be in the lineup. In a story that puts the emotional horrors and lessons of teen life under the spotlight, awkward hero Evan changes his life after tragedy. The only problem is that tragedy belongs to someone else.

Hello, Dolly! (January 7-12, 2020)
Ring in the new year with this Tony-winning revival of the classic show, and see if love once again wins as ultimate matchmaker Dolly Levi tries to make her own match. Broadway royalty Betty Buckley has starred as Dolly in the first legs of this U.S tour. No word yet if the Texas native will make it back to her home state, but here’s hoping we can sing “Hello, Betty” in January.

The Band’s Visit (January 28-February 2, 2020)
The award winners just keep coming to Houston as the hit musical about a band of Egyptian musicians stuck at a cafe in a sleepy Israeli desert town spends several nights in Bayou City. The show has charmed Broadway audiences since 2017, while collecting 10 Tonys and a Grammy for best musical album.

Jersey Boys (February 7-9, 2020)
This Four Seasons fan favorite returns as a season option. Go behind the music for the story of the early days and rise of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons in a show that also features all the group's hits, including “Sherry,” “Big Girls Don’t Cry,” “Oh What A Night,” “Walk Like A Man,” “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You,” and “Working My Way Back To You.”

Come From Away (March 3-8, 2020)
A time of immense fear and uncertainty leads to acts of kindness and generosity in this critically acclaimed musical that still soars on Broadway. Based on the true story of what happened to some of the planes forced to land in Canada’s eastern-most province on 9/11. The stranded passengers find hospitality and songs from small town Newfoundlanders.

Fiddler on the Roof (March 24-29, 2020)
Another acclaimed revival of a Broadway classic heads to Hobby, with its wealth of immortal songs like “If I Were a Rich Man” and “Sunrise, Sunset.” Tony-winning director Bartlett Sher brings a new vision to this story of family and faith. Look for Israeli choreographer Hofesh Shechter’s new dance and movement contributions, based on the original staging by Jerome Robbins.

Ronald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (June 2-7, 2020)
Look for your golden ticket next summer, because the most wonderful, yet scary, candy maker in literature, Willy Wonka, now conquers the stage in this most-recent incarnation of the Oompa-Loompas epic story. Sure, Charlie Bucket has his name on the marquee and Wonka has his name on all the chocolate, but we know who really runs the show.

Hamilton (June 30-August 9, 2020)
With so many sold-out performances during its Houston stop last year, it’s no wonder the musical juggernaut heads back to town next summer. The hip-hop historical retelling of Alexander Hamilton’s story redefined what a musical can be.

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For tickets and showtimes, visit the The Mischer Neurosciences Broadway at the Hobby Center site.

Hamilton returns to Houston in the summer of 2020.

Courtesy photo

Hamilton returns to Houston in the summer of 2020.

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Houston Grand Opera names Rice alum James Gaffigan its next music director

Photo by Claire McAdams

Houston Grand Opera names James Gaffigan as next Music Director

Opera lovers in the audience for the Houston Grand Opera’s magnificent season opening production of Porgy and Bess didn’t know it, but they were hearing HGO’s future. James Gaffigan, the acclaimed conductor of the performance will no longer be called an honored guest to the company and our city; instead, he’ll make the Wortham Center his new home.

HGO announced on Thursday, November 6, that Gaffigan will serve as the fifth music director in its 70-year history, leading the company alongside general director and CEO Khori Dastoor. He replaces Patrick Summers, who announced last year that he would step down as artistic and music director at the end of the 2025-26 season.

When Gaffigan begins his term as music director designate for the 2026-27 season and then assumes the full role of music director in the 2027-28 season, he won’t find Houston an unfamiliar landscape. Though originally from New York, Gaffigan once lived here while earning his master’s degree from the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University.

After his time at Rice, he quickly rose to international superstardom in both symphonic and operatic circles. He has conducted some of the greatest orchestras around the country, including the New York Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, and many others. In Europe he has taken the podium at the London Symphony Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Deutsches Symphonie Orchester Berlin, and more.

In 2011, he made both his HGO and American operatic debut with the company’s production of The Marriage of Figaro. He has also become a very welcome guest conductor for national and international opera houses, including the Metropolitan Opera, Bayerische Staatsoper, Opéra National de Paris, Lyric Opera of Chicago, and more.

For the past several years, he has made a home in Europe serving as the general music director of Komische Oper Berlin, and he recently completed his fourth and final season as music director of the Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía in Valencia, Spain.

Even with such a strong global presence, this Rice Owl continues to migrate back to Houston, guest conducting the Houston Symphony several times. Last year, he lead the first-ever performance by the HGO Orchestra at the annual Eleanor McCollum Competition for Young Singers Concert of Arias.

Gaffigan’s ties to Houston are so strong that back in 2011, CultureMap’s own society king and classical music expert, Joel Luks, pondered if Gaffigan might be an excellent candidate for Houston Symphony director upon Han Graf ’s retirement. Luks, who attended the Shepherd School at the same time as Gaffigan, lauded the maestro’s sense of musical timing, charisma, and spirit.

$\u200bHouston Grand Opera names James Gaffigan as next Music Director$

Photo by Claire McAdams

Houston Grand Opera has named James Gaffigan as its next Music Director.

“He seems to understand music-making in a macro level, presenting a cohesive interpretation, while allowing musicians freedom of expression,” described Luks, also noting Gaffigan’s ability to connect with musicians and audiences, alike.

It turns out Luks’s prediction for a musical directorship for Gaffigan was only off by 14 years and about a theater district block, the distance from Jones Hall to the Wortham Center.

“I always knew that the first post I would take in the United States as music director had to be the perfect fit,” Gaffigan said in a statement. “All the boxes needed to be ticked. As I considered which institution, which city, and which community aligned with my dreams and goals for an American institution, I found HGO to be my ideal partner. In my opinion, HGO is the most exciting opera company in the United States. It is rare to find such a healthy institution, with tremendous potential, and a solid foundation on which to build.”

Gaffigan went on to reminisce that he has admired HGO since his early twenties.

“When walking into the building, I get a sense of community and excitement for our art form and the importance it has in our lives. I feel the same from the people in the greater Houston area. Houstonians want great art. Under Khori Dastoor’s leadership, the company has flourished, and it has become clear to me that the sky is the limit. I can’t wait to return to this city and start our thrilling new chapter together.”

Dastoor sings similar praises for Gaffigan.

“To welcome James Gaffigan back to Houston, and to HGO, as our new music director represents the fulfillment of an ambitious dream,” stated Dastoor. “This fall, Houston audiences have had the incredible opportunity to witness his passion, electric energy, and mind-blowing artistry at the podium. I am overjoyed that today’s leading American conductor — who embodies a new generation of music-making at the highest level — has chosen to invest fully in this company. James was steeped in the art and culture of Houston on his way to finding phenomenal international success. His return is both a testament to our city and a reflection of HGO’s ascendance as a force in the global opera industry.”

For those wanting to get a taste of that passion and energy Gaffigan will bring to his role as Houston Grand Opera music director, he conducts Porgy and Bess November 7 and 9.

performing-arts houston grand opera james gaffigan