Your weekend arts forecast: ‘Hamilton,’ ballroom and more

So, maybe you heard, Hamilton is back in town. The national tour of the multiple Tony-winning hip hop musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda has been at the David A Straz Center in Tampa (in Morsani Hall) since last week, and will be in residence there through Jan. 28.

The show is onstage at 1 and 7:30 p.m. today, 8 p.m. Friday, 1 and 7 p.m. Saturday, 1 and 7 p.m. Sunday – that’s right, it’s possible to spend New Year’s Eve OR New Year’s Day with Alexander, Eliza, Aaron Burr and the gang. All tickets are available here.

KOLO. Publicity photo.

Tonight (Thursday, Dec. 29) brings the dance spectacle KOLO to the Mahaffey Theater. It’s a performance by world champion ballroom dancers, alongside a massive, custom-created video backdrop – 60 feet wide and 14 feet high – with images from the culture and history of Ukraine.

Here’s a story we wrote about the show; tickets are available here.

Todrick Hall is part of the 2022 Drag Queen Christmas tour, visiting Ruth Eckerd Hall (in Clearwater) tonight. The 8 p.m. performance, 18+ only, is hosted by Nina West and Trinity the Tuck. Tickets here.

Tonight’s opera performance at the Museum of Fine Arts – with soprano Susan Hellman Spatafora and bass Andrew Potter – has been canceled.

At Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater, the Strauss Symphony of America is back for Sunday’s 3 p.m. Salute to Vienna concert, with European singers, dancers and a full symphony orchestra conducted by Michael Zehetner. Soloists are Alexandra Reinprecht, soprano (Budapest) and David Danholt, tenor (Vienna–Copenhagen).

The annual event draws direct inspiration from Austria’s famous Neujahrzkonzert, broadcast annually on New Year’s Day to millions of viewers worldwide. Find tickets here.

Last, but not least, there are a couple of splashy, family-friendly New Year’s Eve events Saturday, notable the city-sponsored event at Spa Beach on The Pier, with fireworks over the Vinoy Basin at midnight.

Read all about NYE on the Pier, and other Dec. 31 events, here.

Your weekend arts forecast appears every Thursday in the Catalyst. 

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