Review: IN THE HEIGHTS Brings the Joy of Love and Family Traditions to Energetic Life on the Streets of Washington Heights

IN THE HEIGHTS made a splash on Broadway, scoring the 2008 Tony Award for Best Musical and winning over audiences with its fresh-faced charm and vibrant music. With incredible hip-hop dancing, a contemporary Latin-flavored score and a story from Lin-Manuel Miranda (creator of the new Broadway show "Hamilton" which just won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama), IN THE HEIGHTS is an exhilarating journey into the lives of the residents of the Dominican-American neighborhood of Washington Heights in New York City. It's a place where everyone knows your business and things are about to shake up as romances bloom, dreams are challenged and one winning lottery ticket threatens to change everything.

Much like the much-loved musical "Fiddler on the Roof," IN THE HEIGHTS focuses on family love and traditions being challenged by the beliefs of the next generation. In our modern world where a good education can make all the difference, what does it take for a poor family to put a cherished only child through an expensive university? And what happens when the student cannot keep up and drops out and gets romantically involved with someone her parents don't think is good enough? And what happens when a neighborhood is challenged by urban renewal and its flavor is about to be lost? Can it be saved when local shop owners must leave their beloved neighborhood when rents rise?

The current production of IN THE HEIGHTS at the Simi Valley Cultural Arts Center through May 22, 2016, with performances on Friday and Saturday evenings at 8 pm and Sundays at 2 pm, is directed by Fred Helsel and choreographed by Becky Castells, musically directed by Maize Wilson with vocal direction by Paul Duffy and features a set designed by Seth Kamenow. The high energy musical rocks the house with the spirited cast singing and dancing up a storm in every musical number.

The highly talented cast includes Rehyan Rivera, Tatiana Cantu, Sandra Diana Cantu, Jeremy Whatley, Ariella Fiore, Juan Carlos Cantu, Carla Lombardo Bambo, Sara Gonzales, Megan Fleming, Robert Love, Santos Hemenway and Vincent Perez with Augusto Guardado, Johnny Ortiz, Alexander Reaves, Edward Frame, Eduardo Giancarlo, Autumn Ericson, Brigetta Barrett, Camila Zacarias, Lilian Manansala, Amanda Meade-Tatum and Brittany Gael-Vaughn. Each of them is to be commended for their never-ending energy and enthusiasm which lifts the show to the heights in which it should be presented.

Shining stars of the production include Rehyan Rivera as Usnavi, a young man who owns a small coffee shop/deli where the neighborhood congregates to gossip and hopefully buy a winning lottery ticket. When his elderly neighbor Abuela Claudia (Carla Lombardo Bambo) actually wins, she decides to share the healthy sum with Usnavi who dreams of returning to his parents' island home where he can afford to buy a restaurant on the beach and live the kind of life he had always dreamed could be his. But will he really decide to leave the neighborhood as it slowly degenerates or decide to stay and help revitalize it with his love Vanessa? Sorry - no spoilers here!

Another shop on the block is the limo service run by Camila (Ariella Fiore, who channels amazing deep-seated anger to the hilt in her solo "Enough") and her husband Kevin (Juan Carlos Cantu) who have sent their only child Nina (Tatiana Cantu) to Stanford.

??? ?But when Nina drops out and returns home, she finds comfort in the arms of her parents' trusted employee Benny (Jeremy Whatley), who her parents feel is not the right match due to his lack of education and the color of his skin. Whatley and Tatiana Cantu share their characters' Romeo and Juliet balcony love scene at "Sunrise" as the new day brings new hope and meaning for not only their lives but the entire community who celebrates the new possibilities as they wake and mingle below in the street. It's a lovely way to start Act 2 with beautiful harmonies, full of hope for what can be in juxtaposition to the duo's "When the Sun Goes Down" at the end of the show.

The third shop is the beauty salon where Vanessa (Sandra Diana Cantu) works, a young woman searching for a new apartment she cannot really afford on her salon salary. Her two co-workers Daniela (Sara Gonzales) and Carla (Megan Fleming who gives new meaning to tight pants!) are an incredibly entertaining duo representing women attempting to succeed in a neighborhood where most shops are owned and operated by men. Their uplifting spirit as they struggle to succeed as they close the shop and move to the Bronx is a joy to behold as they light up the stage with mirth and merriment during each of their songs and ensemble numbers.

Local color is added by Vincent Perez as Piragua Man, the push cart seller of items to cool off the neighborhood during the summer heat wave, and Santos Hemenway as Graffiti Pete. Usnavi's employee Sonny (Robert Love) dislikes working and pines for the boss's lady love which we get a glimpse of in their trio "It Won't Be Long Now." But when push comes to shove, it is Sonny who rallies and gives Usnavi a reason to stay and keep the neighborhood vibrant.

Ultimately it's an uplifting story about love and how important it is to overcome any obstacles in the way of accomplishing your dreams. Times may be tough in Washington Heights, but you would never know it given all the positive energy let loose by the entire cast and orchestra (although often a bit too loud which drowns out the singers) of this thoroughly modern musical.

IN THE HEIGHTS tickets are $24 Adults, $20 Seniors & Students and $18 Children and can be reserved by calling (805) 583-7900 or purchased online at www.simi-arts.org. The Simi Valley Cultural Arts Center is located at 3050 Los Angeles Avenue in Simi Valley, California 93065. Performances are selling out so be sure to call and order your tickets ASAP.

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