'Heights' radiates with percussive flair and exuberant sensuality
Review by Catey Sullivan
Before he turned into a household name with , composer/lyricist Lin-Manuel Miranda teamed up with Quiara Alegría Hudesfor In the Heights , a groundbreaking musical that changed the genre forever. Using hop-hop and rap to hone in on a community rarely-unto-never seen in musical theater, Miranda and Hudes created a vibrant story anchored by the Dominican-American son of immigrants. In the titular neighborhood at the top of the NYC subway line, In the Heights explores gentrification, inter-racial romance, and the struggle of immigrants to carve out a slice of the American Dream.
But there's something amiss in director/choreographer Brenda Didier's staging: The dances and the set seem like studiously rendered copies of copies of copies of the original Broadway production.The ensemble isn't quite large enough to convey the burgeoning community that defines the show. And in Jack DeCesare's Usnavi, we get a leading man who is capable but largely forgettable. Porchlight's In the Heights makes all the right moves, but the show is adequate rather than outstanding. And mere adequacy isn't enough to do justice to Miranda's score or Hudes' book.
That's not to say the show doesn't have bright spots. Lucia Godinez' Nina - the brilliant young woman whose scholarship to Stanford makes her the pride of the neighborhood - has a rich, warm voice and a stage presence to match. When she soars through "Breathe" and "Before the Sunrise," the purity and power of her vocals evoke the stirring beauty of bells. As Daniela, the gossipy owner of the neighborhood salon, Missy Aguilar puts the party in "Carnaval Del Barrio" with a joyful shimmy that conveys the joys of sex and the spirit of Carpe Diem. Keely Vasquez also turns up the authoritative heat as Nina's lion-like mother Camille. When she shuts down both her husband and her daughter in "Enough," you will sit up straight and pay heed.
But the ensemble's strengths are tied to its weaknesses. Isabel Quintero's Dona Claudio hits her marks and her notes, but she doesn't have the radiant warmth needed to make the character the absolute moral compass of the community. Michelle Lauto's Vanessa is similarly subdued. Vanessa is supposed to be a woman who's charisma makes her an irresistible magnet for men, the star of the world whether she's walking down the street to get coffee or tearing up the dance floor at a nightclub. Lauto is a click too understated; Her Vanessa almost seems interchangeable with Nina - not a good thing given that the two women are so different from each other.
Finally, the acoustics in the theater don't do anyone any favors. When the wordplay comes fast and furious, clarity gets lost amid the too-loud, too-tinny orchestrations. DeCesare struggles with pitch throughout, as does Stephen Allen's Benny.
Set designer Greg Pinsoneault does a credible job transforming the stage into the gritty street lined with Usnavi's bodega, Daniela's unisex salon and (in a nifty transformation), the taxi service run by Nina's parents.
Still and all, Didier's staging substitutes flair with perfunctory competency. That's not terrible. But being perfunctory simply isn't enough to give In the Heights the snap and momentum it demands.
In the Heights continues through October 16th at Stage 773, 1225 W. Belmont (map), with performances Thursdays at 7:30pm, Fridays 8pm, Saturdays 4pm & 8pm, Sundays 2pm. Tickets are $43-$51, and are available by phone (773-327-5252) or online through Vendini.com (check for half-price tickets at Goldstar.com ). More information at PorchlightMusicTheatre.org. (Running time: 2 hours 30 minutes, includes an intermission)
Jack DeCesare (Usnavi De La Vega), Missy Aguilar (Daniela), Stephen Allen (Benny), Frankie Leo Bennett (Sonny), Leah Davis (Carla), Jordan DeBose (Kevin Rosario), Stan DeCwikel, Jr. (El Piraguero), Lucia Godinez (Nina), Kristopher Knighton (Graffiti Pete), Michelle Lauto (Vanessa), Isabel Quintero (Abuela Claudia), Keely Vasquez (Camila Rosario), Nicole Lambert, Cisco Lopez, Yando Lopez, Elena Romanowski, Travis Austin Wright , Demi Zaino (ensemble)
behind the scenes
Brenda Didier (director/choreographer), Chris Carter (co-choreography), Diana Lawrence (music direction), Adrian Abel Azevedo (assistant direction, dramaturgy), José Clair (dramaturgy), Isabel Quintero (dialect coach), Diana Martinez (artistic advisor), Greg Pinsoneault (set design), Kate Setzer Kamphausen (costume design), Denise Karczewski (lighting design), Robert Hornbostel (sound design), Mealah Heidenreich (props), Jessica Forella (stage management), Ashlee Ruth Wiseman (asst. stage manager), Aaron Shapiro (production management), Michael Weber (artistic director), Jeannie Lukow (executive director), Gretchen Kelley (photos)
Tags: 16-0931, Aaron Shapiro, Adrian Abel Azevedo, Ashlee Ruth Wiseman, Brenda Didier, Catey Sullivan, Chicago Chicago musical theater, Chris Carter, Cisco Lopez, Demi Zaino, Denise Karczewski, Diana Lawrence, Diana Martinez, Elena Romanowski, Frankie Leo Bennett, Greg Pinsoneault, Gretchen Kelley, Isabel Quintero, Jack DeCesare, Jeannie Lukow, Jessica Forella, Jordan DeBose, José Clair, Kate Setzer Kamphausen, Keely Vasquez, Kristopher Knighton, Leah Davis, Lin Manuel-Miranda, Lucia Godinez, Mealah Heidenreich, Michael Weber, Michelle Lauto, Missy Aguilar, Nicole Lambert, Porchlight Music Theatre, post, Quiara Alegria Hudes, Robert Hornbostel, Stage 773, Stan DeCwikel Jr., Stephen Allen, Travis Austin Wright, Yando Lopez
Category: 2016 Reviews, Catey Sullivan, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Musical, Porchlight Music Theatre, Stage 773, Video, YouTube
