“the energy never flags… It’s young and fresh“
Julia Newbould
Four and a half empanadas
Drama Theatre, Sydney Opera House
Sydney
Until August 25
Fast, loud, and energetic – Lin-Manuel Miranda’s feel good musical conveys the heat and passion of the Latino residents of New York’s Washington Heights.
Life isn’t easy for the inhabitants of the Heights – they are poor, they are hardworking, they feel distanced from middle class America – but they also have their own identity. They build a community, they enjoy the simple pleasures of shared meals with neighbours, dancing, gossiping, and generally getting on with life, love, and work.
It is a tight community with all residents on the brink of their own change and while they want to move beyond their “ghetto”, they also see it as their home and a part of their heritage.
There are musical suggestions that Hamilton fans will recognise, but the music here sets Latin rhythms behind the rap and the dancing is fast and sexy.
Ryan Gonzalez leads the cast as Usnavi, central to the community as owner of the bodega (corner store) – a role reprised from the Hayes production some six years ago. Gonzalez is a great talent and has won an award for the role of Usnavi in a previous production.
Usnavi looks after Sonny (his young cousin) and Abuela Claudia (his elderly neighbour). In love with Vanessa (Olivia Vasquez), who works at the hairdresser, Usnavi cannot find the confidence to ask her out.
Gonzalez owns this role, bringing joy and connection to the community through the performance – and the precision delivering the lyrics really brings Lin-Manuel Miranda’s barrio to life. And the fact Gonzalez looks like Miranda in this production is a nice touch. Vasquez also reprises her role in this production and it’s a joy to hear her voice which has great power and depth.
Richard Valdez reprises his role as the popular seller of Piraqua (flavoured shaved ice) and evokes a great response from the audience every time he sings his song, which is perhaps the catchiest of the tunes. This role was played by Lin-Manuel Miranda in the 2021 film adaptation of the musical.
This is the second time In The Heights has been performed at the Sydney Opera House. In 2019 the musical was staged in the concert hall for a short run, following its sold out season at the Hayes Theatre.
The Sydney Opera House Drama Theatre size is ideally suited to the production as it enables the audience to be close enough to the stage to feel a part of the vibrance of the Heights. The set was effective as the barrio bringing the inhabitants together.
There are many opportunities for the full ensemble to be on stage, dancing, singing and generally providing the large life of the barrio, and this is juxtaposed with each of inhabitants expressing their feelings through their own songs.
There are some laughs, including Usnavi explaining the origins of his name.
Lena Cruz as the elderly Abuela Claudia is amazing. Her song, Paciencia Y Fe (patience and faith) is beautiful and she puts power and vim into her delivery. It’s quite a showstopper.
Breathe is another beautiful song. This is Nina’s (Olivia Dacal) and is delivered with passion.
On the night I was there, the sound was distorted – but hopefully this will be rectified. It should not be allowed to mar the pure voices of the cast.
In The Heights was great practice for Lin Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton; there are several similar riffs and rap styles but it’s also more than that. The piece is full of joy and a celebration for Latinos from Cuba, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Chile and so many more who settled in New York.
Dancing was tight and well-choreographed and the voices were superb. Choreographer Amy Campbell said she hired dancers for their individuality with each dancer possessing their own x-factor, and this shows. “Each member of the ensemble has their own movement style. You’ve got some roles that are more grounded and agile…and then you’ve got tone playing into the more typically womanly, sensual essence and then the others – one’s a little more salsa, one’s a little bit more street style.”
There’s something about Lin Miranda’s work – it doesn’t let up. And in the production here, the energy never flags, whether it’s the power of the voices or the electricity in the dance. It’s young and fresh and certainly worth another viewing.
In its initial outing on Broadway In The Heights won four Tonys – Best Musical, Best Score, Best Choreography and Best Orchestrations.
Julia Newbould, Theatre Now
