Review: Street Theater Company's IN THE HEIGHTS

Even the most ambitious and driven person, in their deepest, darkest and most private moments, will long for the love and security of "home," however they define that word. And it's that longing for home, surrounded by those we love, that drives us ever further in life so that we may experience once again that warmth and sense of belonging. At its core, that's the story told in Lin Manuel-Miranda's In The Heights, the hit Broadway musical that introduced the world to the creative genius and made him a household name among lovers of musical theater.

As Miranda's In The Heights - heralded as new and original in its premiere, with its evocative score that gives vibrant life to the people who live and thrive in his fictional treatment of Washington Heights, the NYC enclave filled with a veritable melting pot of first- and second-generation immigrants to this country - made its noteworthy bow on Broadway, it introduced a new way of storytelling to the much-vaunted Great White Way, employing a wide variety of musical genres (hip-hop and rap are blended with salsa, merengue, soul, pop and honest-to-goodness show tunes to allow the characters to express themselves) to relate its heartfelt story that is, at once, unique and familiar. Miranda and book writer Quiara Alegria Hudes wrote from their hearts, giving life to the production originally conceived by Miranda when he was a college student.

From my perspective, it seems unlikely anyone could see In The Heights and to not be moved by the complex, yet deceptively simple, story that is told onstage: it's universal and heartrending in its honesty and in its palpable and loving portrayal of what constitutes the American Dream (be you WASP, Anglo, Latino; Protestant, Catholic or Muslim) that today seems even more prescient than when the show debuted on Broadway in 2008 - just eight years ago from next Wednesday.

Nashville audiences this weekend are treated to a unique opportunity insofar as In The Heights is concerned: two stunning and startling, yet somehow altogether different, productions of Miranda's first masterpiece (you young people who are caught up in the specter of Hamilton have this earlier work to thank for your newfound enthusiasm for musical theater) to be inspired by - two shows that are almost alarmingly good and amazingly performed.

Daron Bruce and Lisa Forbis' cadre of young performers at Nashville's Hume Fogg Academic High School will deliver their rendition of In The Heights for only one more performance (tonight, on Nashville's Broadway, is the last of three shows), while Street Theatre Company's founding artistic director Cathy Street bids farewell to her adopted hometown of ten years with her beautifully directed staging at Bailey Middle School, which opened last night for the first of three weekends of performances.

If you find that you must choose between the two productions - in a sort of Sophie's choice of theatrical proportions - or time and space will allow for seeing just one of the two, rest assured that there is no wrong answer. Instead, both are resoundingly well-done and each pay tribute to the creative teams who have brought them to life, rather interestingly and compellingly, on two similar stages in Music City.

The first thing you are apt to notice in STC's 11th-season opener, when entering the theater at Bailey Middle School, is Randall Tye Pike's extraordinary set design which transforms the stage into the Washington Heights neighborhood - overseen by the saintly Abuela Claudia (Nancy Allen, glowingly maternal as the block's adopted grandmother) and punctuated on three corners by businesses that have served the people in the barrio for multiple generations: Usnavi's bodega, Daniela's "unisex beauty salon" and Rosario's Car and Limousine Service - taking every audience member on a transformative trip to New York to become immersed in the culture and longevity of the neighborhood. You are visually and viscerally transported by Pike's set for two-and-a-half hours (not so unlike a trip to, as Vanessa would suggest, "Gilligan's Ghetto Island").

Randy Craft's five-man orchestra perform - perched up high above the action that transpires down upon the stage - the show's score impeccably, providing strong accompaniment to the onstage ensemble. Steven Steele's lighting design guarantees a warm effect on the action, making the story come alive amid the heat of the July 4th weekend during which the plot takes place. Jessica Mueller's costume design, without question, helps the cast find their characters as she clothes them in garments that perfectly suits each person.

Tosha Pendergrast's choreography is electric and athletic, helping to keep the action moving onstage with inventive and imaginative dancing that allows each person onstage to look their best and to infuse the proceedings with a Latin beat that's sure to have you, the average audience member, moving in your seats and exiting the theater with a certain style to your step.

Street's direction is sharply focused, while remaining thoughtfully and engagingly heartfelt, ensuring that In The Heights is delivered to her audiences with the same care and creativity as every show she's been involved with in her remarkable decade in Nashville theater. Her casting choices are on-target and may represent her true legacy in Nashville theater: She's introduced a whole new half-generation (if a generation is considered 20 years, of course) of actors to local stages, assuredly casting them in the right roles that have highlighted their talents to make certain audiences would follow them from one company to the next, one show to the next. As Street and her company have evolved over time, STC has become known for its bold choices and even better production concepts for each of its shows - something that will likely remain unchanged, thanks to Jason Tucker's assumption of the role of artistic director.

Thus, In The Heights is a superb choice for Street's farewell directorial assignment: it has all the earmarks of what has set STC productions apart from others found on Nashville stages. It's contemporary, it hasn't been done to death over time, and it features a fresh-faced and appealing cast that is a blend of veterans (the aforementioned Allen, Erica Haines, Tony Bernui, Tyler Evick, Amie Lara, Christian Redden and Katie Bruno - all of whom are welcome sights to these critical eyes) and relative newcomers (Dylan S. Davis, Ricardo Da Silva Horta, Iordanis Ekimogloy, Chamberlin Little, Marita May, Madeline Mancebo, Lexie McEntire, Imari Thompson and Meggan Utech - performers who are new to us and who are now squarely in our critical sights) paired with some of the very best local college and university actors that we are privileged to know - and to see plying their trade and improving their skills in the process.

Taking on the role of Usnavi, the character who stands in for the show's creator in the musical, Arik Vega (a 2016 First Night Most Promising Actor and part of Belmont University's much-praised musical theater program - of which his "abuela" Nancy Allen is one of the academic leaders) gives a wonderfully fresh rendering of the character, imbued with charm and warmth that makes him the ideal protagonist.

Vega's offstage best friend Chris D. Lee (another one of our 2016 MPAs) is terrific as Usnavi's friend and confidant Benny, the shared camaraderie of the two men lending an air of authenticity to the onstage relationship of the two characters. Lee's performance is confident and committed and his scenes with Bekah Purifory, as his love interest Nina Rosario, are sweetly portrayed, underscored with a certain passion that creates a memorable image.

Purifoy (who was a 2015 First Night Most Promising Actor) is an ideal Nina, displaying a wealth of onstage intelligence - both as a character and, perhaps more importantly, as an actor - that allows Nina to come to life with an easy grace. There's an edge about Purifoy that saves her character from becoming an almost stereotypical over-achiever and which ensures audiences will want to see more from her in the future.

Ashley Wolfe - a veritable dynamo onstage, with a tremendous treasure trove of onstage skills and stunning stage presence - plays Vanessa, the ambitious young woman who gives Usnavi his onstage love interest. Wolfe's performance is well-played: She is at once brittle and hard-driven, yet somehow she manages to retain a softness about Vanessa that makes her more accessible and appealing. Wolfe ably depicts Vanessa's duality - starry-eyed little girl and driven and determined young woman - in such a way that your eyes remain riveted on her when she is onstage.

And, as in every production of In The Heights we've ever seen, there are a few supporting characters who very nearly steal every scene in which they appear - in only the very best sense of the phrase - and who don't disappoint in STC's version. Dylan S. Davis makes a terrific STC debut as Usnavi's young cousin Sonny, delivering his lines with ease and portraying the eager Sonny with mad theatrical skills and expert comic timing. Erica Haines, who remains without question one of my all-time favorite Nashville performers, shows off her abilities to fine form as Carla, the delightful salon assistant to the ultimate scene-stealer Daniela, played with considerable charm and charisma by Meggan Utech, who gives a powerhouse performance as the entrepreneurial hairstylist who's moving her way up to the Bronx.

Clearly, if we could, we would make all of you go see STC's In The Heights - and while we doubt we really have that power - we humbly and respectably urge you to get yourself a ticket. Miranda's show is heartwarming and inspiring, Street's direction of her superb ensemble is particularly noteworthy and will have an impact upon your heart, Craft's musicians are top-notch and the performances and the performers are awe-inspiring.

And that's all we'll say about In The Heights - until the next time someone puts it on their season.

- In The Heights. Music and lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda. Book by Quiara Alegria Hudes. Directed by Cathy Street. Musical direction by Randy Craft. Choreography by Tosha Pendergrast. Presented by Street Theatre Company, at Bailey STEM Middle School, Nashville. Through March 20. For details, go to www.streettheatrecompany.org. Running time: 2 hours, 30 minutes (with one 15-minute intermission).

photos by Kenn Stilger/Heavenly Perspective Photography

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