BWW Reviews: Take a Trip to IN THE HEIGHTS at the Hippodrome Theatre

How many different ways can I say if there is ONE musical for you to see this year, this is it!! There is an energy at the Hippodrome Theatre that deserves your attention.

There are no Broadway stars in the cast. The composer is certainly not well-known. In fact, this is his first show. You haven't heard any of the songs on radio. Plus, there's the fact that you'll hear a lot of Spanish in the show you may or may not understand.

But you will be in for a treat with this tremendous musical, In the Heights. Four 2008 Tony Awards including Best Musical and the 2008 Grammy Award for Best Original Broadway Cast Album. (I recommend you get the CD prior to seeing the show.)

I was fortunate to see the 2007 Off-Broadway presentation at 37 Arts and was initially shocked at the incredible large beautiful and functional set by Anna Louizos. I've never seen such a large set at an Off-Broadway play. One could sense this show had a great future in front of it.

Sitting behind me happened to be choreographer Andy Blankenbuehler. Following the performance I turned to congratulate him on some of the best dancing I'd ever seen. I also had a chance to meet his talented Latin Assistant Choreographer Luis Salgado (whose memorable performance in the ensemble was incredible). You'll see dance styles from hip-hop, to salsa, to jazz, to ballet.

It was a great experience to see the show on Broadway and the incredible success it so richly deserved.

Thus, it was with great anticipation that I waited to see the cast of the tour which just opened at Baltimore's historic Hippodrome Theatre. I wasn't disappointed one bit.

In the Heights is the product of Lin-Manuel Miranda who conceived the show while at Wesleyan University, starred in the Broadway production, and additionally wrote the music and lyrics. Though Miranda is not on the tour, you can hear his voice announce the first, I believe, bilingual requisite announcement before the show imploring the audience to shut off their cell phones, etc.

The title of the show refers to its location, Washington Heights at the northern tip of Manhattan which runs from 155th St. to 200th St. Currently, a good portion of the area has been gentrified, as people of all backgrounds have discovered its affordability. This is why so many from the theater and music community live there. There still exist a number of Jewish synagogues and the Heights is the home of Yeshiva University. Miranda has two references to this community using the Yiddish term "schmutz" (filth) and the Hebrew toast "L'Chaim". He admits to attending many Bar and Bat Mitzvahs. Now, there's even a Starbucks. But the area retains a predominantly Latino feel with Dominicans, Cubans, Ecuadorians, and Mexicans making up the majority.

The first exit as you pass into New York from New Jersey over the George Washington Bridge leads one to the heart of Washington Heights. I'm very familiar with the area since my daughter lives on 181st Street where the show takes place. (There's even a show souvenir T-Shirt for sale with 181st St. on it). One catches the "A" train (mentioned in the opening number) at the corner of 181st St. and Ft. Washington Ave. It's quite a neighborhood and author Miranda spent of his youth there. Other famous residents who were either born there, grew up there or lived there include Henry Kissinger, Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Manny Ramirez (mentioned in a lyric), Alex Rodriguez, Leslie Uggams, and Laurence Fishburne.

The GW Bridge plays a large part of the set (though I do miss the red blinking lights on the top of the bridge on the Broadway set).

Taking over from Miranda in the leading role of Usnavi (I will not reveal how he got this name) for the tour is the talented Kyle Beltran possesses the right charisma necessary for the role. Beltran just last year graduated with a B.F. A. from Carnegie-Mellon.

Usnavi runs the local bodega (grocery store) dispensing coffee and lottery tickets to the locals. And what a neighborhood it is. Usnavi's younger cousin, Sonny (played by the dynamic Shaun Taylor-Corbett, helps him at the store. (This is the second time I've seen Taylor-Corbett perform at the Hippodrome. He was part of the extremely successful children's show on the Discovery Channel "Hi-5".) Usnavi has his eyes on hairdresser Vanessa (played by the phenomenal Sabrina Sloan).

The esteemed senior citizen who watches over everyone is Abuela Claudia (Elise Santora). The local car service (very popular in Washington Heights) is owned by Kevin and Camila Rosario (Daniel Boro and Natalie Toro). Their daughter Nina (the amazing talented Arielle Jacobs) returns from her freshman year at Stanford and reconnects with childhood friend Benny (a strong Rogelio Douglas, Jr.) who works for the car service which is having financial problems.

The action takes place sometime around the great black-out in New York around July 4 which means you can expect some fireworks.

This may be one of the most amazing ensembles ever assembled. They seem to dance through-out the evening.

Kudos to Howell Binkley for his wonderful lighting. You will be impressed.

Special mention must be made to the orchestra which travels with the show. Under the direction of Justin Mendoza (who doubles on the keyboards), members include Associate Conductor Cian McCarthy (keyboards), Paul Baron (trumpet), Loraine Faina (drums), Tim Jensen (reeds...I loved his baritone sax), Mark Karwan (bass), Chris Rinaman (trombone), Robert Rosario (percussion, no relation to the car service), and Josh Weinstein (guitar...I especially loved his acoustic work). The fact that these incredible musicians travel with the show makes a huge difference. I only wish I could watch them perform during a show. They must have a blast.

After the success of In the Heights, Miranda worked with Arthur Laurents and Stephen Sondheim on the revival of West Side Story translating some of the lyrics and dialogue into Spanish. He has also worked with Stephen Schwartz on a new version of the musical Working. Look for the film starring Miranda.

In the Heights continues until March 7 at the Hippodrome before it heads to Florida. For tickets call 410-547-SEAT or online at www.BroadwayAcrossAmerica.com.

There is also a special week-day matinee on Thursday, March 4 at 11 a.m. If you work downtown, why not consider a "long" lunch?

Read a nice interview by Joel Markowitz with Natalie Toro (Camila Rosario) at www.DCTheatreScene.com.

For more information about the show and to see some videos, log on to www.intheheightsthemusical.com.

NOTE:

The cast will be presenting a fundraiser for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights Aids on Monday night, March 1 at Germano's in Little Italy at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are only $10. For reservations, call 410-752-4515. See my article about this elsewhere on this site.

For comments, write to cgshubow@broadwayworld.com.

 

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