Saige Salazar
Theatre 3
4A
In The Heights
In the Heights is an exciting, spicy Latin blend of culture, family, and the
joy and hardships of life. The production I have seen at Pioneer Theatre
Company, on September 19th, was directed by Matt August, who most notably
has directed all the Broadway productions and touring productions of Dr.
Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas- the Musical along with a long resume of
other directed productions. This talented cast included the original Usnavi,
Joseph Morales; and by his side were Anthony Ramos Martinez (Sonny),
Manoly Ferrel (Vanessa), Debra Cardona (Abuela), etc.
In the Heights is a heartfelt journey into the lives of three generations of
Latino immigrants living in Washington Heights, New York. The plot follows
through each different generation, which adds much interest to the story.
There’s a character almost every age group can identify with. Whether it be
Abuela, who brought this bountiful family here and watches them struggle and
flourish; or Kevin, who’s trying to create a better life for his daughter than he
was given; or Nina, the unsure college student who’s trying to live out her
families expectations and carry on a stronger legacy, the characters are very
relevant and real. In the Heights is especially relevant to the economic, social,
and political climate of today, these characters are feeling the same way many
Americans are feeling. This musical spoke to me in a way I didn’t believe I
could understand until I saw it.
The performance that was the most raw and realistic to me was that of
Joseph, as Usnavi. Every song and line he delivered was driven from him with
such heart and meaning. Although there were many strong, important
characters in this play, Usnavi is the carrier, he’s the glue that holds the family
together and binds their relationships. I found his performance of a wilful,
struggling young man who just wants to pursue happiness, as America
promised, was very touching and insightful into the way many Americans are
feeling.
Another character who on the other hand I wish I would have seen more
out of was Nina, Emily Vasquez. Her singing was inarguably well done, but I
wish I would have seen a little more empathy, or realism to her character. I was
trying to connect with Nina, as she was the closest character to my age, and
because soon I’ll be facing the same challenges with college; but I just wasn’t
feeling a true emotion from Nina. She did understand her characters situation,
that was visible, but she didn’t really elaborate on how Nina would feel, and me
being in the age group, I felt a little misrepresented. If she were to come back
and play this character I think she should just put herself a little more into
Nina’s shoes and really dig into why she’s feeling the way she feels, and why
she’s singing each song.
The set was urban gorgeous, I loved seeing something fresh and a little
gritty. It wasn’t the pretty Shakespearean rose budded set the image of theatre
puts in people’s minds, it was designed like a real harsh New York street. The
apartment buildings were one of my favorite things to look at; I enjoyed the
brick industrial feel to it. The set design was very metropolitan and dirty which
fit the script perfectly. The costumes were spot on for the most part, with a few
that were a little over the top and 80s-esque, although you can see that in our
pop culture as of now. The lighting fit the mood very well, for each song, I was
enjoying the aura the lights set for a song, because immediately from the hit of
the lights you knew what kind of song it was going to be, yet it kept you
interested.
I think our audience of young people really loved the show; you could
catch that feeling from the way we reacted to the jokes, cooed at the romantic
parts and hooted at the rapping. I thought it was refreshing to see a multicultural cast, that could rap, that was the most enjoyable thing for me. I loved
seeing rapping instead of long ballads, it kept my attention and got me
interested in what the characters had to say. Sometimes in musicals my
attention will falter if it’s just too classical and too broadly done, in this case I
was watching wide eyed waiting what was going to be said next.
In the Heights was a huge success, hitting the issues and topics that the
popular media doesn’t generally want to talk about, but that are majorly
important in people’s lives. I enjoyed every minute of the show and after was
wishing it wasn’t over. Pioneer Theatre Company put on a fantastic, authentic
show.