A production of “Hamilton” set to run in Puerto Rico next month is abruptly changing venues, citing a concern about security in the event of expected protests.

The musical’s lead producer, Jeffrey Seller, said Friday night that he was moving the show from a historic theater at the University of Puerto Rico’s Río Piedras campus to a modern facility in another part of San Juan, to make it easier to obtain police protection for theatergoers and the cast and crew. A longstanding practice in Puerto Rico has restricted police access to college campuses, and Mr. Seller said the likelihood of protests made police protection desirable.

The decision comes quite late in the game for “Hamilton,” which had already loaded its set into the university theater in anticipation of beginning performances Jan. 8 and opening Jan. 11 for a three-week run. The start of performances will now be delayed by three days, with a first performance (still the official opening) on Jan. 11 at the Centro de Bellas Artes Luis A. Ferré.

The move is a disappointment for the financially challenged university, which had been looking forward to the production as a chance to get some positive attention, and for Lin-Manuel Miranda, the creator of “Hamilton,” who had wanted to perform the show on campus as a show of support for the university, which is his father’s alma mater.