When Lin-Manuel Miranda’s In the Heights burst on the scene nearly two decades ago, musical theater had not seen or heard anything quite like it. Sure, West Side Story had nominally been set in an Upper West Side pitting Puerto Rican newcomers with longtime white residents. But here was a story about Spanish-speaking immigrants by one of its own, and set to a distinctly 21st-century Latin beat with elements of hip-hop as well as musical and lyrical references to classic jazz and musical theater (Duke Ellington and Cole Porter both get shout-outs).
Nearly two decades on, Miranda has established himself as a generational musical theater talent thanks to his masterpiece Hamilton as well as his work on film scores such as Moana and Encanto. Back in 2007, when I first saw Miranda burst onto the Off Broadway stage then known as 37 Arts Theater in In the Heights, he was making a bold introduction both as the show’s creator as well as its narrator/star. Usnavi, a bodega owner in Washington Heights on the northern tip of Manhattan, opens the show with a patter-filled rap that slips in Spanish words as he introduces us to a neighborhood full of hard-working immigrant strivers.
That spirit of inclusion and ambition pervades David Mendizábal’s beautifully sung revival, which is running for three weeks at New York City Center as part of the Encores! program. As in the original Off Broadway and Broadway productions, which introduced us to future stars like Christopher Jackson, Karen Olivo, and Robin de Jesús (in addition to Miranda himself), this cast is bursting with talent who will be new to even avid theater fans.
Matte Martinez, last seen playing the title role in Broadway’s MJ, is a steady presence as Usnavi, but he’s frequently upstaged by Ishmael Gonzales as his teenage cousin and fitful employee Sonny (who’s full of adolescent attitude, dramatic gestures, and quirky line readings). Ashley De La Rosa is a golden-voiced stunner as Usnavi’s love interest, Vanessa, a salon worker committed to escaping the hood for a better life downtown. Other vocal standouts include Natalie Venetia Belcon (Buena Vista Social Club) as Claudia, the adoptive abuela of Usnavi and Sonny; Aaron James McKenzie as the young limo driver Benny; and Linedy Genao as the sassy community gossip Daniela, who’s decided to move her popular local hair salon to the Bronx.
Quiara Alegría Hudes’s book remains an overstuffed empanada of melodrama, with multiple subplots involving a dozen different characters. But it works, mostly, in part because the stories have a timeless quality that still speak to the modern moment. A common theme is the conflicting feelings immigrants have about the communities where they started, the desire to preserve that sense of bonding but also to move on, and hopefully up, to more secure financial and personal futures elsewhere.
What’s striking is how much In the Heights feels like a period piece, conceived before the widespread use of smartphones or social media. There’s a pre-MAGA earnestness to celebrating the immigrant experience, and of not dwelling on glaring challenges like the looting and destruction of Usnavi’s business that prompts him to consider pulling up stakes himself. It helps that Graffiti Pete (Cristian “Chino” Rodriguez) includes “’08” when he tags the metal gate of Usnavi’s bodega at the top of the show. This is a different time, where gentrification and authenticity have different connotations. But Dede Ayite’s costumes could do more to reinforce the fashion sense of the aughts.
Perhaps because of the large cast and the compressed rehearsal time for an Encores! show, Mendizábal’s staging can be awkward, with actors going up and down the stairs seemingly at random to the risers where the 13-member band performs. The blackout sequence at the end of Act 1 — with its resonant lyrical pun about the community’s “powerless” state — is a confusing dramatic dud that’s lifted only by the striking re-creation of July 4th fireworks by lighting designer Justin Townsend on Riw Rakkulchon’s minimal set.
Mayte Natalio’s choreography, full of unison salsa moves and kickline-like arrangements of the ensemble, doesn’t always provide the energy and visual flair that would lift the group numbers into the stratosphere. And while New York City Center is notorious for its acoustic challenges, Alex Neumann’s sound design could do more to rein in the instrumentals so that Miranda’s lyrics can actually be heard.
Still, it’s a pleasure to hear this Tony-winning score again, and to see a new generation of performers bringing their distinctive stamp to it. (And a new generation of theatergoers embracing it so enthusiastically as well.) It’s apt that Martinez waits until the curtain call to put on an ivy cap like the one Miranda famously wore as Usnavi. This is a revival that tips its hat to its roots but strives to forge its own path. In that respect, though, it only partially succeeds. ★★★☆☆
IN THE HEIGHTS
New York City Center, Off Broadway
Running time: 2 hours, 30 minutes (with one intermission)
Tickets on sale through November 15 for $45 to $370