Musicals take the mic across Houston stages this June. From the tragic to the silly, everyone’s got a number, or dozen, to sing. Ironically, the one play exception is from the presenter Houstonians rely on to bring us the hottest Broadway musicals, Broadway at the Hobby Center, who instead gives us a Clue to solve a madcap summer mystery. We’re also highlighting some theatrical dance shows this month bringing us kinetic stories of love and life.
Spamilton: An American Parody at Stages (now through June 21)
Parodies of cultural phenomenons are as American as the founding fathers and Broadway itself, so if any musical deserves a gentle satire, it’s Hamilton. Written by Gerard Alessandrini, who created the long-running Forbidden Broadway, Spamilton spreads its comedy wide, taking on the show Hamilton, as well as Lin-Manuel Miranda’s journey to write a revolutionary new musical and save Broadway. Along the way, Spamilton takes shots at other big musicals like Book of Mormon, Lion King, and Cats.
To top it off, Stages also adds a mini musical, 21 Chump Street, to the end of every performance. Running under 20 minutes, Chump Street was created by Lin-Manuel Miranda based on an episode of This American Life. While the musical is rarely performed by itself because of the short length, Stages is adding it on as a special treat for Miranda fans.
Clue presented by Broadway at the Hobby Center (June 9-14)
While Broadway at the Hobby Center usually presents touring musicals, they occasionally slip in the odd play, and this looks to be great fun. Clue is the ultimate comic whodunit based on the cult '80s film and classic board game. Six mysterious guests, who may or may not know each other, assemble at Boddy Manor to dine on red herrings and then play a little after dinner game of blackmail, threats, and murder. Was it Mrs. Peacock in the study with the knife, Colonel Mustard in the library with the wrench, or Miss Scarlet in the conservatory with a candlestick? Did the butler do it all along? Or perhaps the twisty ending only leads to more twists.
Giselle from Houston Ballet (June 11-21)
With an emotional story that brings audiences to tears even while awed by the dance, Giselle has been embraced by ballet companies and choreographers for almost two centuries. Just a decade ago, Houston Ballet artistic director Stanton Welch brought his own interpretation of this tragic story of a beautiful peasant girl who falls in love with a duke, but he later betrays her. Welch used composer Adolphe Adam’s unedited score to expand the drama and allow the cast to explore the complexities of their roles.
Ballets Jazz Montréal, Dance Me: The Music of Leonard Cohen presented by Performing Arts Houston (June 12-13)
Poetry and deep storytelling were always inherent in the songs of Canadian songwriter and singer Leonard Cohen. Ballets Jazz Montréal, the acclaimed dance company from Cohen’s hometown, put its bodies into those stories told in some of his most iconic songs like, “Suzanne,” “So Long, Marianne,” “Dance Me to the End of Love,” and of course, “Hallelujah.” Three international choreographers collaborated on this “dance concert,” including Andonis Foniadakis, Ihsan Rustem, and Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, whose stunning Broken Wings Frida Kahlo ballet just wowed Houston Ballet audiences in March. Dance Me combines scenic, visual, musical, dramaturgical, and choreographic writing to pay tribute to one of Montreal’s greatest artists.
Songs for a New World from Garden Theatre (June 12-14)
Calling it a musical theater extravaganza, the company is producing three musical shows in one weekend. Running June 12 and 13, the unique Songs for a New World from Tony winning composer Jason Robert Brown delivers song and characters connected by the choices humans must make and the consequences they bring. The one-woman cabaret Not Your Ingenue will also be in the lineup on June 13. Then this musical mini-festival ends with the rousing debut of Garden’s original cabaret show From Seed To Stage. Timed with the company's fifth anniversary, Seed will feature 35 returning cast members from previous Garden productions, singing some of their favorite numbers from five years of musicals.
The Hunchback of Notre Dame from Houston Broadway Theatre (June 16-July 5)
One of Houston’s newest theater companies will ring the bell on this Disney musical that’s been a favorite regionally and internationally but has never actually had a big Broadway run. Based on the Victor Hugo novel and the Disney animated adaptation, the musical tells the emotional tale of the orphaned and disabled Paris cathedral bell ringer, Quasimodo, and his love for the kind and independent Romani woman, Esmeralda. The musical weaves songs from the film and new music for the stage, all by Oscar winning composer Alan Menken. The lavish Houston production boasts a 21-piece live orchestra on stage, making this the first time this expanded orchestration will be performed in the U.S.
Tamarie’s Greatest Hits, Volume 3 from Catastrophic Theatre (June 18-August 1)
Summer brings one of Houston's longest running theatrical traditions, another new comedy from the wonderfully warped mind of Catastrophic’s cofounder, Tamarie Cooper. Every decade, Tamarie does a greatest hits compilation show with some of the best scenes, skits, and songs from the previous nine shows. According to Catastrophic, we can all look forward to a “ridiculous” new script and a few brand new songs to tie the whole thing together. Many of the company’s wild regulars, including a few we haven’t seen in the summer show in a while, will be along for the ride, likely vying for the most outrageous performance.
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at A.D. Players (June 24-July 19)
Somehow this will be the first time Houston’s spiritual theater company brings to stage this early Andrew Lloyd Webber hit musical. The story follows young Joseph, favorite son of Biblical patriarch, Jacob. Left for dead by jealous brothers, Joseph sets out on a series of adventures, including a stint as a dream interpreter. He eventually rises to power as the man behind the throne of Egypt. Filled with catchy songs like “Any Dream Will Do,” the somewhat campy musical still wrestles with weighty themes like family loyalty and betrayal.
Get Ready at Ensemble Theatre (June 26-July 26)
Filled with nostalgia, complex comedy, and hope, the show puts us in the rehearsal room for the reunion of the fictitious Doves, a 1950s doo-wop group that might be having a resurgence after one of their old songs makes it back on the charts. Can these five former friends, now older but perhaps wiser, find that musical magic again, or will the squabbles of the past break them up once more? Ensemble won critical praise when it produced this show during the 30th anniversary season. Now as it wrap up the 25-26 lineup, this season topper will Get (Houston) Ready for Ensemble’s upcoming 50th anniversary.
Forever Nebrada present by Voices of Arts Central (June 27)
Houston Ballet principal dancer Karina González pays tribute to pioneering Latin American choreographer Vicente Nebrada (1930-2002) with this special production from the organization she founded last year to present innovative artistic projects that connect dance, culture, and storytelling. Featuring dancers from Houston Ballet and Oklahoma City Ballet, Forever Nebrada will give audiences rare insight into Nebrada’s repertoire, dance vision, and how Venezuelan cultural heritage influenced his work. González says she hopes the production will be both a celebration of Nebrada’s legacy but will also be a way to bring together artists and audiences from across the diverse Houston community.
Photo by Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade
