March scheduled performances
All performances are always free
Fun facts and frequently asked questions at the bottom
All photo credits: Courtesy Miller Outdoor Theatre
HOUSTON ─ Since 1923, Miller Outdoor Theatre in Hermann Park has been one of Houston’s most beloved cultural treasures, a gathering place for the community and the site of thousands of memorable free performances. That’s over 90 years of memories.
Miller is unique in the United States, offering an eight month season of professional, artistically-excellent and culturally diverse entertainment completely FREE of charge to the public. This is the largest “always free” program of its kind in the country and it attracts hundreds of thousands each season.
From daytime programs especially for young children to family friendly evening performances of classical music, jazz, ethnic music and dance, ballet, Shakespeare, musical theatre, popular concert artists, films and more, this is Houston’s best entertainment value.
2017 Season Opener: Michael Londra’s Celtic Fire
March 17 at 8 p.m.
Celtic Fire, starring renowned Irish tenor Michael Londra, presents the culture of Ireland, with a focus on Irish dance. Its electric energy sweeps audiences away to the Emerald Isle – its culture, its music, its pubs, its heart.
World-class Irish dancers take the stage with brilliant flashes of speed and exuberance. The jigs and reels they perform with precision are a joy to watch. The innovative choreography is original to the show, presenting an exciting style of Irish dance that perfectly complements the live band. Intricate group numbers and looser solo spots are the hit of each performance. Many want to join in… and younger audience members usually do!
Michael Londra’s CELTIC FIRE YouTube video https://youtu.be/hJlxKr7fnF8
The music of Celtic Fire is traditional at its core, with all of Ireland’s national instruments included: the fiddle driving frenetic reels; our great drum, the bodhran, beating out the driving rhythms of the band; the plaintive uileann pipes calling back to days of yore with beautiful and haunting slow airs.
A native of Wexford, Ireland (the singing capital of Ireland), Michael Londra is a driving force in Irish arts worldwide. He is described as “one of the greatest Irish singers of our time” by CapitalCeltic. He was lead singer in Riverdance on Broadway and his Michael Londra Beyond Celtic concert aired on PBS stations nationwide more than 300 times in 2011. He has performed on the world’s biggest stages, from Madison Square Garden and Radio City Music Hall, to Kremlin Palace in Moscow and the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
This is a ticketed event for the covered seating area. Free tickets are available (4 per person over age 16 while they last) at the Miller Outdoor Theatre box office the day of the performance between the hours of 10:30 a.m. -1 p.m. If tickets remain at 1 p.m., the box office will re-open one hour before show time to distribute the remaining tickets. As always, open seating on the hill.
Presented by Miller Outdoor Theatre
Noche Caliente featuring Ray De La Paz
March 18 at 8 p.m.
Diaz Music Institute presents legendary salsa singer Ray De La Paz performing with Houston’s premier youth group “Caliente”, directed by Grammy Music Educator Finalist Jose Antonio Diaz.
RAY DE LA PAZ was born in the late 1940s in Harlem, NYC and grew up in the Bronx listening to rock, doo-wop and Mexican influenced music. He took vocal lessons as a child, but it wasn’t until 1970 when he stood in as a last minute replacement vocalist for El Conjunto de Don Juan that he first sang Latin music. That night the band opened the concert that also featured Joe Cuba with Cheo Feliciano and Jimmy Sabater, Ricardo Ray and Bobby Cruz, and Eddie Palmieri’s La Perfecta with Ismeal Quintana.
Ray played with Don Juan for almost two years before hooking up with Chino y su Conjunto Melao, singing on their self-titled first album (1975) that contained the hit “Que Bien Te Vez.” During this period he met Louie Ramírez, who asked de la Paz to sing coro on “La Pollera Colora” on the album Conquista Musical with Sonora Ponceña (1976). 1976 was also the year of his recording debut with Ray Barretto on Barretto Live, the first of four records he would cut with Barretto that also included Rican/Struction (1979), Giant Force (1980), and Rhythm of Life (1982).
In 1982, de la Paz was tapped by Louie Ramírez, along with José Alberto “El Canario” and Isidro Infante to be part of a novel recording project of doing salsa arrangements of hit ballads, with the result being the album Noche Caliente, which spawned the monster hits “Estar Enamorado” and “Todo Se Derrumbó” and created a new style of music now called Salsa Romántica.
Ramírez and de la Paz began to tour together and recorded three massively successful Gold records, ¡Con Caché! (’84), Alegres y Romanticos (’85), and Sabor con Clase! (’86), before de la Paz started his solo career, releasing Como Tu Quieras in 1990 on RMM. He reunited with Ramírez in ’92 to record Otra Noche Caliente, containing the hits “Suddenly”, “Definitivamente”, and the ever-popular “Medley”.
In 2000 he joined the Spanish Harlem Orchestra as lead vocalist and their Grammy nominated debut release Un Gran Dia En El Barrio (2002) was honored with the Latin Billboard Award for Salsa Album of the Year. 2004’s Across 110th Street won the Grammy for Best Salsa/Meringue Albumb, and in 2010 they won the Grammy for Best Tropical Latin Album for Viva La Tradicion. Their latest record, the self-titled Spanish Harlem Orchestra was released in 2014.
Diaz Music Institute YouTube video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GRm-g6KOH4w
Todo Se Derrumbo – Ray De La Paz video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OjBAqVae6Kc
This is a ticketed event for the covered seating area. Free tickets are available (4 per person over age 16 while they last) at the Miller Outdoor Theatre box office the day of the performance between the hours of 10:30 a.m. -1 p.m. If tickets remain at 1 p.m.,
Presented by Diaz Music Institute
FOOTLOOSE, The Musical
March 30, 31 and April 1, 6, 7, 8 at 8 p.m.
Lose your blues, cut loose, and kick off your Sunday shoes as HITS Theatre presents the finger-snapping, toe-tapping musical, FOOTLOOSE.
One of the most explosive movie musicals in recent memory bursts onto the live stage with exhilarating results. When Ren and his mother move from Chicago to a small farming town, Ren is prepared for the inevitable adjustment period at his new high school. What he isn’t prepared for are the rigorous local edicts, including a ban on dancing instituted by the local preacher, determined to exercise the control over the town’s youth that he cannot command in his own home. When the reverend’s rebellious daughter sets her sights on Ren, her roughneck boyfriend tries to sabotage Ren’s reputation, with many of the locals eager to believe the worst about the new kid.
The heartfelt story that emerges is of a father longing for the son he lost and of a young man aching for the father who walked out on him. To the rockin’ rhythm of its Oscar and Tony-nominated top 40 score and augmented with dynamic new songs for the stage musical, FOOTLOOSE celebrates the wisdom of listening to young people, guiding them with a warm heart and an open mind.
This is a ticketed event for the covered seating area. Free tickets are available (4 per person over age 16 while they last) at the Miller Outdoor Theatre box office the day of the performance between the hours of 10:30 a.m. -1 p.m. If tickets remain at 1 p.m., the box office will re-open one hour before show time to distribute the remaining tickets. As always, open seating on the hill.
Produced by HITS Theatre
Fun Facts and Frequently Asked Questions about Miller Outdoor Theatre
Where is everyone going?
Since 1923, Miller Outdoor Theatre in Hermann Park has been one of Houston’s most beloved cultural treasures, a gathering place for the community and the site of thousands of memorable free performances. That’s over 90 years of memories!
Miller is unique in the United States, offering an eight month season of professional, artistically-excellent and culturally diverse entertainment completely FREE of charge to the public. This is the largest “always free” program of its kind in the country and it attracts hundreds of thousands each season. From daytime programs especially for young children to family friendly evening performances of classical music, jazz, ethnic music and dance, ballet, Shakespeare, musical theatre, popular concert artists, films and more, this is Houston’s best entertainment value.
What to expect at Miller Outdoor Theatre?
Leave the neckties and high heels at home. Expect quality entertainment from around the world without the daunting dress code of a traditional theater. Miller Outdoor Theatre offers audiences a relaxed atmosphere, allowing guests to enjoy one another’s company as well as a great performance.
The price is right. All performances are always free!
To the Right, or to the Left on the hill?
Take a family vote on where you’d like to sit to enjoy the performance. Tickets are not necessary for hillside seating. Blankets and lawn chairs are welcome. Please note that lawn chairs must be placed on the left side of the hill. Sit on the right side of the hill if you prefer to sit on a blanket.
How do you get a seat in the covered seating area for evening performances?
Approximately 1,700 new seats were installed under the canopy in 2009. Admission is free for all performances. All evening shows (except movies) require tickets for admission for seats under the canopy. For those performances, assigned seat tickets are available, on a first-come basis and while supplies last, on the day of performance only between 10:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. at the box office behind the theatre. A maximum of four tickets per person over age 16 is allowed. Any remaining tickets are released one hour before curtain. TICKETS MAY NOT BE RESERVED BY PHONE.
Can I lose my seat even though I had a ticket?
All unclaimed seats are released 5 minutes before the show is scheduled to begin. We encourage all patrons to be in their seats 15 minutes before show time to insure that their seat will not be released. Again, there is NO charge for tickets.
Please note: At management’s discretion, all unoccupied seats may be released at any time for any reason.
How do you get a seat in the covered seating area for daytime performances?
The Daytime Children’s Series offers teachers and parents alike an excellent opportunity to expose youngsters to the delights of the performing arts with a series of productions designed especially for children. Performances begin at 11 a.m. and last approximately 1 hour. No tickets are necessary for covered seating area. Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis.
Paper or Plastic?
You choose. But, definitely NO glass containers of any kind are allowed.
You’ll never go hungry here
Miller Theatre’s concession stand offers refreshments and other supplies for picnics. Purchasing concessions at Miller Theatre supports the free performances.
No Smoking
Miller Theatre is a NO SMOKING zone. Smoking is not allowed in any City of Houston Park, including Hermann Park. No smoking at the theatre, on the plaza or on the hill. Your cooperation is greatly appreciated.
What to pack
Decisions, decisions…there are so many choices. Pack a picnic basket with fried chicken or caviar. It’s up to you. Bring a blanket or lawn chair. Definitely bring the whole family. Yes, you may even pack alcohol. But please, leave the glass containers at home.