Sunday Showtunes

THE HEIGHTS OF ENTERTAINMENT

The evening show today was “In the Heights,” a new Latino-themed Off-Broadway musical about the barrio denizens of Washington Heights in Manhattan.  It’s on 37^th Street between 9^th and 10^th Avenues (my hotel is 47^th at 7^th), which means nearly a half-hour walk to get there.  The show is moving to Broadway in the Fall and as I trudged there in the heat and crowds I was grumbling and wishing I had just waited until then, when it would be closer to midtown!  I also wasn’t expecting to like it much, based on the fact that I hadn’t heard much buzz about it, it’s full of unknowns, and was written and directed by newcomers to the theatre.  I was just not too excited about seeing it.  To my delighted surprise – it was INCREDIBLE!  I haven’t seen and experienced a brand-new musical this wonderful since – well, discounting “Mary Poppins” which was a known quantity from a movie – since I can’t remember when!  

The score (mostly salsa-flavored pop and rock) and lyrics are wonderful.  I’m already so excited to get the cast album that I almost pre-ordered one with a form they had I the lobby (but I decided to wait – so far - and get it on Amazon when it comes out).  The performances were absolutely amazing.  The choreography was unbelievably good – while not “impressive” in a flashy Broadway tap-dance mass production way, it was completely appropriate to the situation and characters, clever in its own right, stunningly executed, and perfectly supported the lexicon of the piece.  I didn’t even mind the occasional hip-hop (or the main character’s propensity toward rapping) because it all made such perfect sense for the piece. 

The set is gorgeous, a massive Broadway-sized one-set street scene of the neighborhood with a bridge in the background and practical steps descending to the subway (181^st Street Station).  It was too wide and expansive for my second-row seat and the director used the whole thing very effectively.  The story took place over a hot couple of days next week (July 4^th holiday) so it seemed like we were watching for real, right here, right now.  The program places it in “the present” and literally it was!

The story is basic almost to the point of being trite (the hopes and dreams of those who want to get out of the neighborhood versus at least one who left and wants to return home, and of course at least one “boy meets girl” love story, evoking both “West Side Story” and “Rent” minus the same-sex angle), but the story and characters are affecting and moving, and the joy and pride these characters feel – along with the sense of family and community – are wonderfully rendered.  And when tragedy strikes, you really have a sense of what it means to the individuals and to the community. 

Every single person seems exactly right for their roles (including ensemble, who are a big part of the fabric of the relationships and the feel of the piece), the performances are phenomenal (often getting applause BEFORE the songs ended!), the orchestrations sound bigger than the small band that it is.   The opening number is worthy of Flaherty and Ahrens – it sets up the themes and characters nicely.  I was drawn in from the start and later moved to tears.  It was a wonderful, unforgettable show, SO VERY much better than the vastly overrated “Spring Awakening,” which left me cold.  I hope it does well on Broadway and wins lots of Tonys next year!

KSHO broadcasts to the Mid-Willamette Valley in Western Oregon.
Among the communities served are Albany, Corvallis, and Lebanon.