More than a year after "Hamilton" was announced without any dates, Minnesota theatergoers can finally be in "The Room Where It Happens" starting Aug. 29.
A six-week run of the blockbuster musical at Minneapolis' Orpheum Theatre will kick off the Hennepin Theatre Trust's 2018-19 season, which includes Broadway's other current biggest hit, "Dear Evan Hansen."
"Hamilton," which blends influences from Jay-Z to "South Pacific" in its songs — including "My Shot" and "Room" — has played to record-setting crowds (and record resale prices) since opening in 2015. Adapted by Lin-Manuel Miranda, who also originated the lead role, from Ron Chernow's bestselling biography of Alexander Hamilton, it traces the Founding Father's rise to power, from his college days to serving as the first secretary of the Treasury to his fateful meeting with Aaron Burr on a dueling field.
There are now five companies playing in the U.S. and London. The Twin Cities will get the so-called "Philip" cast, currently led by Joseph Morales, a veteran of the show's run in Chicago.
"Hamilton" tickets have been as tough to come by on the road as on Broadway. The best way to get one of the 120,000-plus tickets is to subscribe to the Hennepin Theatre Trust season, which includes eight shows. Most cities are selling out well in advance. In San Francisco, individual tickets — which will be offered in Minneapolis at a later, as-yet-unspecified date — were gone within 24 hours. Previous cities have conducted a daily lottery, offering a few dozen tickets at $10.
Current subscribers can renew now. Otherwise, season tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Wednesday at 1-800-859-7469, hennepintheatre trust.org or the State Theatre box office, 805 Hennepin Av. S. The price ranges from $359 to $1,019, with a limit of four per order.
"We're monitoring sales very closely" to try to prevent scalping, said spokesman Dale Stark.
Among "Hamilton's" 11 Tony Awards was the 2016 trophy for best musical, an award that "Dear Evan Hansen" earned the following year. With a score by the Oscar-winning composers of "La La Land," the show is about a high school student who shifts from social outsider to hero for all the wrong reasons and then tries to make amends. Like "Hamilton," "Dear Evan Hansen" won the Grammy for best cast recording and remains in Billboard's Top 200.
Those two contemporary smashes are joined in Hennepin Theatre's 2018-19 season by:
• A pair of revived classics, "Fiddler on the Roof" and "Hello, Dolly!" The latter show will star Betty Buckley, known for the TV series "Eight Is Enough," the horror movie "Carrie" (she played Sissy Spacek's gym teacher) and a Tony-winning role in the original Broadway production of "Cats."
• Two other current Broadway shows that have had surprisingly long runs, "A Bronx Tale," a musical adaptation of the Robert De Niro movie, and a rare touring nonmusical, the self-explanatory farce "The Play That Goes Wrong."
• Two Broadway disappointments hoping to recoup their investments on the road: the Roald Dahl adaptation "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" and a biomusical with the songs of Gloria and Emilio Estefan, "On Your Feet!"
Not included in season packages, but available as add-ons, are return visits from usual suspects "The Book of Mormon," "Les Miserables," "Beautiful — the Carole King Musical" and "Rock of Ages." All of the shows will be at the Orpheum, with individual tickets going on sale later.
2018-19 Hennepin Theatre season
"Hamilton" Aug. 29-Oct. 7
"Beautiful"* Oct. 22-27
"The Book of Mormon"* Nov. 6-18
"Les Miserables"* Dec. 18-30
"On Your Feet!" Jan. 22-27, 2019
"Rock of Ages"* Feb. 8-10, 2019
"A Bronx Tale" Feb. 19-24, 2019
"Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" March 6-17, 2019
"Hello, Dolly!" April 16-28, 2019
"The Play That Goes Wrong" May 7-12, 2019
"Dear Evan Hansen" May 28-June 9, 2019
"Fiddler on the Roof" July 30-Aug. 4, 2019
* Not included in season packages.
