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| Robin de Jesús leads the talente company of 'In the Heights' Photo: Stan Barouh |
Qué gran espectáculo!
Any successful musical offers at
least one great moment for audiences to remember. Kicking off the 2017-18 Season, the Olney
Theatre Center partnering with the Round House Theatre in presenting “In the
Heights,” there may have been 96,000 such moments. A sensational cast and crew under the
meticulous direction of Marcos Santana have delivered a winning musical lottery
ticket to local theatergoers.
Tony Award-nominated Robin de
Jesús, who portrayed Sonny in the original Broadway production of “In the
Heights,” stars as Usnavi on the Main Stage at Olney Theatre Center. Lin-Manuel Miranda who played Usnavi in the Broadway
production and received a Tony nomination for that role composed the music and
lyrics and won the Tony in that capacity. Quiara Alegria Hudes wrote the book. In
all, the show captured four such statues including Best Musical. Miranda’s success with “In the Heights”
propelled him to mega-stardom in “Hamilton.”
The story unfolds in the gritty,
largely Hispanic working class Washington Heights barrio or neighborhood of
Upper Manhattan, near the George Washington Bridge during a typically sultry
three-day period surrounding July 4.
Each character has his or her story, but they are all connected in some
fashion.
A youthful vibrant ensemble clad
in hip street clothing designed by Frank Labovitz adds spice to this rich
mixture of contemporary urban hip-hop, salsa and other Latin rhythms that tell
the story of family drama, financial struggles, community spirit, love,
devotion, expectations, dreams realized and those not fulfilled. And one of the
characters just won a $96,000 lottery prize adding another element to the story.
All the action takes place on a
magnificent set designed by Milagros Ponce de León. The barrio depicted in the set consists of
businesses, such as De La Vega Bodega (convenience store), Daniela’s Beauty
Salon and Rosario’s Car Service as well as apartment buildings, entrances to
the buildings and fire escapes. The creative
and functional multi-tiered set even includes the 181st Street “A” train station
with the subway grate on the sidewalk, with, yes, steam bellowing out of it
before the show as the sound of a train is heard barreling down the tracks
underneath.
That set provides the backdrop
to most of the story. But when the scene
shifts to a dance club, no problemo.
Fast and seamlessly, the transformation occurs.
So detailed is Mr. Santana’s
direction that the actors not performing as principals in a particular scene
are engaged in background activity or conversation in any of these businesses or
meandering about in the apartments. Cheerfully,
none of this background staging becomes a distraction; instead, the subtle movements
add realism and dimension to the visuals.
Enhancing the eye-pleasing set
is the extraordinary lighting design by Cory Pattak. A highlight is the fireworks display where
the lighting effectively simulated this activity.
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| Robin de Jesús as Usnavi Photo: Stan Barouh |
“In the Heights” contains many
high points in the way of individual musical performances, either as solos or
duets. The main performers along with
the rest of the ensemble also burnish their talents in the stirring high-energy
production numbers like the title song and opening number “In the Heights,”
“96,000,” “Blackout,” and “Carnaval Del Barrio.”
Mr. Santana also choreographed
the show, which presents solid, realistic urban Latino dancing to the thumping
beats supplied by the superb nine-member orchestra led by Christopher Youstra.
The ensemble sing and dance with
dazzling energy to the music that in some instances contains a mix of Spanish
and English lyrics. However, the songs
were composed in a way that one didn’t have to know Spanish to understand their
messages.
While some of the songs are not
necessarily melodious, they are all solid because of the powerful and affecting
lyrics as well as the amazing vocals by the cast members.
Numbers, such as “In The
Heights,” “Breathe,” “Inútil,” “No Me Diga,” “Paciencia Y Fe,” “When You’re Home,” “Piragua,” “Sunrise,” and
“Everything I Know” stand out. Most of
the high tempo songs (and the better ones) are performed in the first act while
more ballads can be heard in the second—a distinct change in mood.
Robin de Jesús is remarkable in
the role of Usnavi, a Dominican-born owner of the bodega who is a central
character throughout. His passion and
hopes, which include returning to his native Dominican Republic, are conveyed
with great skill. Most of his dialogue
and songs are performed in rap, and he is wonderful at it.
Rayanne Gonzales is moving as
Abuela (Grandmother) Claudia who practically raised Usnavi after his parents
died. She is the barrio’s loveable
matriarch, the moral anchor. Her stellar
voice is evident in the tender “Paciencia Y Fe” and “Hundreds of Stories.”
Stunning Linedy Genao plays
Vanessa, Usnavi’s love interest, who is looking to escape the barrio and move
downtown but can’t afford it. She possesses a glorious mezzo-soprano voice,
and her performance in “It Won’t Be Long Now” shines.
Also spectacular with her vocals
is Mili Diaz as Nina. Ms. Diaz’s
Broadway-caliber soprano voice is as good as it gets with memorable selections
as “Breathe,” “Everything I Know” and “When the Sun Goes Down.”
Nina was the one member of the barrio
who went off to college (Stanford University) on a scholarship only to fail in
her first year, deeply disappointing her parents, Kevin and Camila. She develops a relationship with Benny much to
the chagrin of her father.
Danny Bolero plays Nina’s
overprotective father Kevin and the owner of Rosario’s Car Service which he
feels compelled to sell to help Nina with her tuition. Mr. Bolero is sturdy in
both acting and singing with his commanding baritone voice on display. His emotional solos in “Inútil (Useless)” and “Atención”
are stellar. Vilma Gil is enjoyable as
Nina’s steadfast mother Camila. Skillful in her acting, she does well in her
powerful rendition of “Enough.”
Another standout is Marquise
White as Benny, who is in love with Nina and an employee of Kevin’s taxi
service and is the only non-Hispanic character.
Also demonstrating strong acting and musical ability, Mr. White is
particularly effective in the duets “When You’re Home” and “When The Sun Goes
Down” with Ms. Diaz.
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| Photo: Stan Barouh |
Natascia Diaz as Daniela, the
chatty, gossipy owner of the beauty salon, is effective in that role and also
demonstrates her vocal prowess in “No Me Diga.”
Her employee, Carla, is played well by Melissa Victor.
Tobias A. Young, yet another
strong vocalist, plays the role of Piragua Guy who pushes a shaved ice dessert
cart in the barrio and competes with the Mister Softee truck. He truly has one of the most beautiful voices
in local theatre and is a joy to listen to. Mr. Young participates in the group
numbers and sings the aptly named “Piragua” as a solo—and does it twice!
Then there is Usnavi’s cousin
Sonny, who works with him at the bodega.
Played fabulously by Michael J. Mainwaring, the character provides most
of the comedic moments in the show. Mr. Mainwaring’s
comedic timing and stage movements excel. Juan Drigo Ricafort rounds out the stellar
cast as Sonny’s good chum Graffiti Pete whose artistry leads to an
inspirational ending, tying a bow on this gift of a show. #hocoarts
There is an abundance of talent,
technical expertise, a solid score, and humanity in the story that makes “In
the Heights” a must-see experience.
Thank you to the Olney Theatre Center and the Round House Theatre for
putting together such an extraordinary cast and crew helmed by a terrific
director.
Qué gran espectáculo!
What a great show!
Running time. Two hours and 30
minutes with an intermission.
Advisory: “In the Heights”
contains adult language and sexual situations and is not recommended for
children under age 13.
“In the Heights” runs through October
22 at the Olney Theatre Center, 2001 Olney-Sandy Spring Road, Olney, MD 20832.
Tickets may be purchased by calling 301-924-3400 or by visiting online .
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