Review: In the Heights
Sep. 12th, 2010 01:34 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
next_to_normalLet's try this again.
In the Heights, Music and Lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda, Book by Quiara AlegrÃa Hudes
As you may have noticed from my previous musical posts, I tend to like unconventional musicals. Sometimes I even like musicals that no one else has ever heard of, lol. But one thing that definitely gets my attention is a score that draws on modern musical styles you won't find in your Rodgers and Hammerstein songbook. As you can see from the clip above, this is that kind of show. Being a show with a mostly Latino cast, the music has a lot of Latin influences, blending salsa and merengue with rap and hip hop, and a little bit of traditional style mixed in. Lin-Manuel Miranda is clearly a talented songwriter with a background in the classics (he name-checks Cole Porter and references "Take the A Train"), an ear for fusion, and damn can that boy rhyme. (LMM is no longer in the show, btw, but his replacement is just as good.) Also, the choreography is fantastic, and it's one of the best sets I've seen in a long time. The show is energetic, sultry, and vibrant, and it makes you want to get up out of your seat and dance.
The story centers on Usnavi, owner of a corner bodega, which he inherited from his deceased parents, in the Manhattan neighborhood of Washington Heights. Practically raised by Abuela Claudia, the neighborhood matriarch, Usnavi dreams of someday selling the store and going back to the Dominican Republic. Everyone dreams of getting out of the barrio, in fact, whether it's Nina, the first in her family to go to college, or Benny, who wants to open his own business, or Vanessa, who just wants an apartment downtown.
But at the same time, Daniela is being forced to close up her beauty salon and moving to the Bronx where the rents are cheaper, and Nina's parents, who are devastated to learn that their daughter dropped out of Stanford and furious that she's in love with Benny (who is not Latino), are conflicted over whether to sell their business in order to help Nina pay for school.
It's a city block on the cusp of change, and it'll make you feel both nostalgic and hopeful, no matter where you grew up. It's also cool to know that this story about chasing your dreams is itself a dream realized, that Lin-Manuel Miranda wrote this show in college, drawing on his own life, and now he's a Tony Award winner.
![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
flake_sake recently posted about the different components of story, which I think is relevant here. In the Heights has gotten some criticism about the white-washing of city life - a criticism that is certainly fair. The musical version of Washington Heights seems weirdly free of violence or drugs, and the worst crime is a little vandalism. But as I mentioned on flake_sake's post, great characters are a must, and this show has such vibrant and real characters that it forgives a lot of the overly sentimental or less realistic aspects.
Nina and Benny are a little bit of a couple cliche (think West Side Story, if Tony were a black guy), but their individual stories and goals make them relatable. Even so, the show's other couple, Usnavi and Vanessa, are so vulnerable and real that they completely outshine them, Usnavi with his awkward attempts at flirting and Vanessa so desperate to get out that she doesn't realize what she's leaving behind. But the real gift is in the minor characters - like Sonny, Usnavi's cousin and employee at the bodega, who steals every scene with his one-liners, but shows depth when he vows to guard the store from looters during the blackout. Graffiti Pete is seen by Usnavi as a vandal who ruins his awning, but he's also a talented artist who helps the tight-knit community leave their mark on the neighborhood with a mural of Abuela Claudia. Even the piragua guy, who traverses the stage selling his frozen treats, wins you over with his utter glee when the Mister Softee truck has broken down. :)
There are also some compelling emotional moments, and the Act One finale, "Blackout," seems electrically charged enough to light the whole barrio on its own. I love the double meaning in the line, "We are powerless," but that's just the tip of the iceberg for a show that's so loaded with clever wordplay.
American Idol winner Jordin Sparks is currently starring as Nina, but apparently she's too cool for Sunday matinees (heh, actually, I heard she was injured), so we saw her replacement, who was fantastic. :) (Trying not to quote [title of show] here, but I think it's clear I'm not a fan of this trend of using Hollywood celebrity stunt casting to sell tickets to Broadway. It's one thing to cast a big-name star who has the chops for theater, like NPH, but I'll take Broadway legends like Bernadette Peters over celebs like Catherine Zeta-Jones, who clearly don't have the talent for the roles they're given. So I'd just as soon not see some American Idol winner, given the choice.) The entire cast was incredibly talented, in fact - strong voices and fantastic dancers, which just goes to show that unknown actors have as much talent as the stars, since there's not a single big name in the show besides Sparks, and it was brilliant without her.
If you get the chance, definitely go see it! It's hard to choose a favorite between this and A Little Night Music, since they're so different, but both very much worth seeing.
In the Heights, Music and Lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda, Book by Quiara AlegrÃa Hudes
As you may have noticed from my previous musical posts, I tend to like unconventional musicals. Sometimes I even like musicals that no one else has ever heard of, lol. But one thing that definitely gets my attention is a score that draws on modern musical styles you won't find in your Rodgers and Hammerstein songbook. As you can see from the clip above, this is that kind of show. Being a show with a mostly Latino cast, the music has a lot of Latin influences, blending salsa and merengue with rap and hip hop, and a little bit of traditional style mixed in. Lin-Manuel Miranda is clearly a talented songwriter with a background in the classics (he name-checks Cole Porter and references "Take the A Train"), an ear for fusion, and damn can that boy rhyme. (LMM is no longer in the show, btw, but his replacement is just as good.) Also, the choreography is fantastic, and it's one of the best sets I've seen in a long time. The show is energetic, sultry, and vibrant, and it makes you want to get up out of your seat and dance.
The story centers on Usnavi, owner of a corner bodega, which he inherited from his deceased parents, in the Manhattan neighborhood of Washington Heights. Practically raised by Abuela Claudia, the neighborhood matriarch, Usnavi dreams of someday selling the store and going back to the Dominican Republic. Everyone dreams of getting out of the barrio, in fact, whether it's Nina, the first in her family to go to college, or Benny, who wants to open his own business, or Vanessa, who just wants an apartment downtown.
But at the same time, Daniela is being forced to close up her beauty salon and moving to the Bronx where the rents are cheaper, and Nina's parents, who are devastated to learn that their daughter dropped out of Stanford and furious that she's in love with Benny (who is not Latino), are conflicted over whether to sell their business in order to help Nina pay for school.
It's a city block on the cusp of change, and it'll make you feel both nostalgic and hopeful, no matter where you grew up. It's also cool to know that this story about chasing your dreams is itself a dream realized, that Lin-Manuel Miranda wrote this show in college, drawing on his own life, and now he's a Tony Award winner.
flake_sake recently posted about the different components of story, which I think is relevant here. In the Heights has gotten some criticism about the white-washing of city life - a criticism that is certainly fair. The musical version of Washington Heights seems weirdly free of violence or drugs, and the worst crime is a little vandalism. But as I mentioned on flake_sake's post, great characters are a must, and this show has such vibrant and real characters that it forgives a lot of the overly sentimental or less realistic aspects.Nina and Benny are a little bit of a couple cliche (think West Side Story, if Tony were a black guy), but their individual stories and goals make them relatable. Even so, the show's other couple, Usnavi and Vanessa, are so vulnerable and real that they completely outshine them, Usnavi with his awkward attempts at flirting and Vanessa so desperate to get out that she doesn't realize what she's leaving behind. But the real gift is in the minor characters - like Sonny, Usnavi's cousin and employee at the bodega, who steals every scene with his one-liners, but shows depth when he vows to guard the store from looters during the blackout. Graffiti Pete is seen by Usnavi as a vandal who ruins his awning, but he's also a talented artist who helps the tight-knit community leave their mark on the neighborhood with a mural of Abuela Claudia. Even the piragua guy, who traverses the stage selling his frozen treats, wins you over with his utter glee when the Mister Softee truck has broken down. :)
There are also some compelling emotional moments, and the Act One finale, "Blackout," seems electrically charged enough to light the whole barrio on its own. I love the double meaning in the line, "We are powerless," but that's just the tip of the iceberg for a show that's so loaded with clever wordplay.
American Idol winner Jordin Sparks is currently starring as Nina, but apparently she's too cool for Sunday matinees (heh, actually, I heard she was injured), so we saw her replacement, who was fantastic. :) (Trying not to quote [title of show] here, but I think it's clear I'm not a fan of this trend of using Hollywood celebrity stunt casting to sell tickets to Broadway. It's one thing to cast a big-name star who has the chops for theater, like NPH, but I'll take Broadway legends like Bernadette Peters over celebs like Catherine Zeta-Jones, who clearly don't have the talent for the roles they're given. So I'd just as soon not see some American Idol winner, given the choice.) The entire cast was incredibly talented, in fact - strong voices and fantastic dancers, which just goes to show that unknown actors have as much talent as the stars, since there's not a single big name in the show besides Sparks, and it was brilliant without her.
If you get the chance, definitely go see it! It's hard to choose a favorite between this and A Little Night Music, since they're so different, but both very much worth seeing.
no subject
Date: Sep. 12th, 2010 08:40 pm (UTC)Nice review though. I'll just pretend I went with you. :)
-GingerWall
no subject
Date: Sep. 12th, 2010 09:10 pm (UTC)Also, pssst, since you have LJ, you can comment here with an OpenID (unless you like anonymity, lol). Plus, you'll get comment notifications and be able to read my locked posts and stuff.
no subject
Date: Sep. 12th, 2010 11:09 pm (UTC)I'm not a fan of this trend of using Hollywood celebrity stunt casting to sell tickets to Broadway.
I totally agree! I also hate the fact that when most musicals are made into movies, they're cast with so-called stars who can't sing (or sometimes even act). I love musicals, but can't really afford to go see them on Broadway, so I often have to rely on the movie version (which usually sucks).
no subject
Date: Sep. 12th, 2010 11:41 pm (UTC)I am hopeful that the In the Heights movie will be faithful, since Lin-Manuel Miranda is involved and starring in it.
no subject
Date: Sep. 13th, 2010 02:22 am (UTC)That's very encouraging news. :)