In the Heights
Reviewed by Martίn Hernández
Morgan-Wixson Theatre
Through July 30
RECOMMENDED
Opening on Broadway during the U.S. housing-based financial meltdown, this 2008 Tony Award winner for Best Musical deals with gentrification, yet another real estate-grounded scourge that disproportionately harms marginalized communities. Lin-Manuel Miranda’s music and lyrics, an exuberant mix of hip-hop, salsa, and other energetic musical genres, and Quiara Alegría Hude’s book, a jumble of storylines that could each warrant their own show, portray the varied ways one vulnerable group meets such an existential threat.
It is the eve of Fourth of July 2008, a celebration of independence – but for whom? Our narrator Usnavi de la Vega (a charismatic Gabriel Ramirez) runs a corner bodega in Washington Heights, a working class Latinx section of New York City. His store is his late parents’ legacy, and he runs it with his precocious teenaged cousin Sonny (Eadric Einbinder). While rising rents are forcing others to move out, Usnavi feels bound to stay despite the hipster onslaught on his barrio, which he relates in the boisterous company opener, “In the Heights.”
Kevin (Adrian Ayala) and Camila (Samantha Barrios) Rosario, who run a struggling car service, welcome their daughter Nina (Natalie Chavez), who is back home after her first year at college with unwelcome news. Trying to escape her parents’ ire, Nina finds solace with Benny (a dulcet-toned Deonte Allen), a Black dispatcher for the Rosarios. Meanwhile, Usnavi’s romantic hopes hit the skids when beautician Vanessa (Olivia Leyva), Usnavi’s long-term unrequited crush, decides to move to the West Village, explaining why in an energetic “It Won’t Be Long Now.”
Witnessing the action from her stoop is retired housekeeper Abuela Claudia (Bianca Flores), considered the matriarch of the neighborhood, who reminisces on the hardships she endured as an immigrant in a xenophobic Norteamericano society in the poignant “Paciencia y Fe.” When news spreads that Usnavi has sold a winning lottery ticket, the denizens are abuzz with guessing who won, setting the stage for life-changing events for those who least expect it.
What is refreshing in this production — and I have seen a few — is the abundance of large-bodied performers in the cast, from nimble dancers to performers in major roles. The zaftig Joyce Blackmon, as the brassy beauty salon owner Daniela, leads the cast in the rousing “Carneval del Barrio,” a celebration of Latinx solidarity that had me — as usual — dancing in my seat. A burly Rubén Gabriel Hernández provides stellar vocals as the Piragua Guy on the fittingly titled “Piragua,” a comedic tune about the trade war between his shaved ice cart and the Mister Softee ice cream truck.
While the volume of the recorded music came close to drowning out a few of the vocalists, at times I closed my eyes and savored the ensemble’s lush harmonies — as in “No Me Diga,” sung by Chavez, Leyva, Blackmon, and Stephanie Jauregui as Carla, a ditzy born-again Christian hairstylist — a mellifluousness that comes courtesy of Jenny Chaney’s skilled musical direction. And keep your eyes open lest you miss Leonel Ayala’s peppy choreography and designer Melodie S. Rivers’ colorful set, replete with the eponymous George Washington Bridge in the background. Director Ariella Salinas Fiore sets a lively pace without ever rushing the intimate moments.
Peppered with crucial themes, from corporate exploitation of low-income neighborhoods to conflict between Latinx and Black people, the show is a timeless reminder that, win or lose, family and friends are the best allies when battling adversity. All it takes, as Abuela Claudia reminds us, is a little bit of paciencia y fe.
Morgan-Wixson Theatre, 2627 Pico Blvd., Santa Monica; Fri.-Sat., 8 pm, Sun., 2 pm; through July 30. https://www.morgan-wixson.org/ Running time: two hours and 20 minutes, with a 20-minute intermission.
