Now that ‘Hamilton’ is coming to KC, does Wichita stand a chance?

Will “Hamilton,” the Broadway musical that has taken the country by storm, ever come to Wichita?

“Never say never,” said Patrick Lewallen, advertising and public relations manager for Theater League.

But don’t hold your breath, or you’re going to be holding it for years.

Theater League, in concert with Broadway Across America-Midwest, announced recently that a touring production of “Hamilton” would come to Kansas City as part of its 2018-19 season.

Ticket sales are expected to be astronomical – that is, if you can even get one.

Season ticket holders in Kansas City get first dibs when they renew for the 2018-19 season – meaning to get first access, you’d have to buy season tickets for this coming season, then renew for the following season.

According to an article in the Kansas City Star, season ticket sales in other markets where “Hamilton” has been announced have been high, said Leslie Broecker, president of Broadway Across America.

Kansas City’s 2017-18 season tickets cost anywhere from $195 to $460, which – as the Star notes – is on the extreme lower end of what you’d expect to pay for a single ticket to “Hamilton” on Broadway.

“Hamilton” is a Tony Award-winning hip-hop musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda that tells the story of Alexander Hamilton, one of the country’s founding fathers.

Wichita is not on any proposed schedules for the “Hamilton” tour as of now – at least that Lewallen is aware of.

Century II’s Concert Hall has a smaller capacity than many touring shows would prefer, according to a December interview with John D’Angelo, director of the city’s Division of Arts and Cultural Services.

That doesn’t stop shows from coming here, though sometimes the quirks of Century II – particularly in load-in and load-out – complicate things for large-scale touring productions.

While the Concert Hall’s capacity of 2,200 pales in comparison to similar arenas in St. Louis or Oklahoma City, it is actually fairly similar to the theater where “Hamilton” is playing in Kansas City: the Kansas City Music Hall.

Perhaps Wichita used up all of its luck when it landed touring productions of “Wicked” both in 2009 and again last year. Or maybe it was “The Lion King” that did it.

Any Wichita “Hamilton” die-hards would probably be best served by buying a 2017-18 season ticket to Theater League Kansas City now. Its season includes “The Lion King,” “Les Miserables” and “The Color Purple.”

This story was originally published January 30, 2017 at 2:01 PM with the headline "Now that ‘Hamilton’ is coming to KC, does Wichita stand a chance?."