NEW YORK—With a combination hip-hop and Latin beat, the musical In The Heights, (book by Quiara Alegria Hudes, music and lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda, conceived by Miranda), makes a joyous transfer from Off-Broadway, while tapping into a usually overlooked culture (and audience).
The story takes place in the area of 183rd Street in Manhattan, in a neighborhood known as Washington Heights. The community consists of lower and middle class folks, (mostly Latino) and is populated with various mom and pop establishments, though the specter of redevelopment and rising rents is ever present.
The current anchor of the area is twenty-something Usnavi (Miranda), who runs a corner bodega. While working, he tries to keep his young cousin Sonny (Robin De Jesús) in line and continually chases away the local graffiti street artist (Seth Stewart). He also carries a torch for Vanessa (Karen Olivo), a neighborhood girl who works at the nearby hair salon. However, possible romance hits a snag when Vanessa announces she's moving downtown while Usnavi has no intention (or the means) of going anywhere, at least until chance and tragedy cause priorities to change.
Across the street, husband and wife Kevin (Carlos Gomez) and Camila (Priscilla Lopez) own a car service business and take pride in their daughter Nina's (Mandy Gonzalez) being at Stanford University, the first person in their family to go to college.
However Nina, who's back for summer vacation, hasn't told her family she couldn't cut it academically. She also finds herself becoming very close to childhood playmate Benny (Christopher Jackson), now working for her parents, only to find her father doesn't approve of him because "he's not Latino."
As these stories play out against the backdrop of an electrical blackout, a financial crisis and a lottery windfall, we see people divided by generational and cultural lines. The older folks i.e. Nina's parents and the woman who raised Usnavi (Olga Merediz), have strong ties to their places of birth and native language; while the youngsters consider Washington Heights to be their home and the place they return to when things get tough.
In the end, all realize that to get where they want to be, they must follow their own dreams and not ones dreamed by others, although there's nothing wrong with accepting a little help when offered.
Best of all is the musical's sense of place, thanks to a wonderful set by Anna Louizos and costumes by Paul Tazewell. (A nice touch was the Piragua Guy character (Eliseo Roman), a street vendor who sells snow cones).
The music, while not particularly memorable, is enjoyable and chorography by Andy Blankenbuehler and direction by Thomas Kail are excellent. Standouts among the cast include Olivo and Gonzalez, both of whom have wonderful voices; Miranda, who makes a good "everyman" as Usnavi; and Merediz is as Usnavi's almost-grandmother.
Also in the cast are Janet Dacal, Andréa Burns, Tony Chiroldes, Rosie Lani Fiedelman, Joshua Henry, Afra Hines, Nina LaFarga, Doreen Montalvo, Javier Muñoz, Krysta Rodriguez, Luis Salgado, Shaun Taylor-Corbett and Rickey Tripp.
In The Heights
Richard Rogers Theatre
226 West 46th Street
Tickets: 212-307-4100 or www.ticketmaster.com
Running Time: Approximately Two Hours, 30 Minutes
Open Run
Judd Hollander is the New York correspondent for the London publication The Stage.
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