A thrilling production of Lin-Manuel Miranda's wonderful creation of "In the Heights" takes audiences
on a tour of the Latin uptown Neighborhood of Washington Heights. The show runs at the Curran
Theatre through June 13th. Photo by Joan Marcus
There is only one thing I can honestly say was wrong with “In the Heights.”
It had to end.
That was about all the criticism I can throw towards the cast whose talents were on full display. It was a sparkling opening night for the musical that boasts four Tony Awards, including best musical, in 2008.
In a tour that will end up running from Florida to Tokyo and every major city in between by the time it’s over, the lights rose on the Curran Theatre stage for a five-week run, and it soared mightily.
The night gets off to a rip-roaring start with the wonderfully heady opening number “In the Heights.” In the tradition of Fiddler’s “Tradition,” everything you need to know about everyone in the show is spelled out cleanly and smartly. Utilizing brilliant lyrics with homages to Glenn Miller’s “Take the A Train,” and Cole Porter’s “Kiss Me Kate,” Lin-Manuel Miranda’s lyrics were mostly handled with care and charisma from Kyle Beltran, who has the hip-hop chops to keep the audiences heads bumpin’. With the exception of a few moments where lyrics by Beltran were not terribly sharp, most notably in the finale, his youthful exuberance and charm carried the show wonderfully.
The story is a quintessential snapshot of a neighborhood over the course of three days, focusing on three generations. There is the well-respected Usnavi (Beltran), who is in the fight of his life everyday to keep his bodega afloat, Vanessa (Sabrina Sloan), who has big downtown dreams, the well-respected neighborhood nana Abuela Claudia (Elise Santora) and the sweet West Side Story-ish love affair between loyal car service employee Benny (Rogelio Douglas, Jr.) and his boss’ daughter Nina (Arielle Jacobs).
The storyline is a multi-plotted, neatly crafted tale filled with those aforementioned characters we really pull for. All have their challenges, pulled in different directions, such as Nina (Arielle Jacobs), who has struggled mightily grasping the politics and protocols of a school like Stanford. Even though the university is on the other side of the country, for Nina, it might as well be on the moon. Let’s face it – I don’t think piragueros hang out much on the Palo Alto campus.
Any great musical will sink or swim with its signature songs, and in this show, there are plenty. The numbers don’t just simply soar, they positively smolder. Aside from the opening number, Nina’s ballad “Breathe,” which laments her embarrassment of returning home as a failure, was gentle and smooth, filled with wonderfully balanced harmonies. “It Won’t be Long Now,” which really gives insight into Vanessa’s plight, was a pulsing mover, with excellent highs and lows. And “Pacienca y Fe (Patience and Faith), brilliantly belted by Broadway veteran Santora, was eye candy of the sweetest variety, a beautiful love letter to the old country. The song’s choreography, created by Andy Blankenbuehler, who also won a Tony for this show, was superb and sophisticated.
And as far as the show-stopping numbers, the two that hit the Curran stage hard and fast are “96,000” and “Carnaval del Barrio.” Both numbers had audiences hootin’ and hollerin’, numbers that are metaphors for the winds of change in Broadway. Once again, Blankenbuehler’s choreography in these numbers, led by the soft-spoken, yet compelling Graffitti Pete (Jose-Luis Lopez) and a dazzlingly limber Sandy Alvarez, were top-notch.
With shows like “In the Heights” bringing in new theatergoers daily, the excitement surrounding a new vanguard of Broadway and a new generation of artistry is palpable. If you are going to see this show, just know that you are seeing something so revolutionary, so fresh, and so unique, you’ll tell your grandkids you saw it way back when. Hip-hop, salsa, merengue and rap music are the newest ingredients for this new and exciting theatre. Getting burned by something so hot never felt this good.
Personal Note: After the show, I went backstage to say hello to Elise Santora, who I wrote a preview story about the week the show opened. A delightfully charming young lady, Santora, my wife and myself spoke for a few minutes, and she, in her funny and warm way, wanted to make sure I teared up during one part of the show. I assured her I did. What I forgot to mention is that I actually got emotional during the opening number. It’s not like the opening number is depressing or anything, but the start of the show for me represented so much more. I don’t know much, but I have been around theatre long enough, more than 20 years of my life, to know how important this show is. As a proud Latino of Mexican-American heritage, to see people that looked like me on the stage of the Curran, which I’ve been to dozens of times, was a bit overwhelming and magical. That night, I shed some tears that spoke to the dramatic proceedings on the stage. And that night, I also shed some tears that spoke to the dramatic proceedings within my “corazon.”
EXAMINE IT FOR YOURSELF
Shorenstein Hayes Nederlander of San Francisco presents the national tour of “In the Heights”
Music and lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda
Book by Quiara Alegría Hudes
Directed by Thomas Kail
Through June 13th
Running time is 2 hours, 30 minutes (includes 20 minute intermission)
The Curran Theatre, 445 Geary Street, San Francisco, CA 94102
Tickets range from $30 - $99
For more information and to buy tickets, visit SHNSF’s official website.
Email David John Chavez at dchavez04@att.net
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