Saturday Matinee

Last week, my friend Chinedu and I got rush tickets to see the off-Broadway musical “In the Heights“. It was such a fun night…really cool to see a musical set in the same neighborhood we went to school, it was a refreshing change to see an original musical (not based on a movie) with exciting songs, with talented performers and songwriters involved in this intimate piece. The scenic design for this musical was so fun for us to see; we saw the subway station, bodega storefronts, Washington bridge…all so realistic and reminiscent of our school days in the Heights. The mixture of piraguas, salsa dancing, rapping, and graffiti has never been so much fun!

Standouts in the cast were, Lin-Manuel Miranda, who is such a geeky, charming, hilarious rapper, an underdog in the romantic sense. Karen Olivo, who literally lit up the stage with her vulnerability, strong female facade, and sexiness…reflective of her past work as Mimi in Rent. Robin de Jesus was so funny as the young, deadpan, pimply cousin …”give him a moment, he’s forming his artistic opinion“…The character of Nina (played by Mandy Gonzales) reminded me of our friend Liz, who is also Hispanic and went to Stanford University.

But simply put, the main star of the show was the music. The music and lyrics were brilliant; Lin-Manuel Miranda, who stars in the show, is also the songwriter and lyricist for the show. That man has talent coming out of his pores. I loved how he weaved rap into the theater; this man obviously loves musical theater as much as he loves rap… and not one overshadows the other. I see him up for the Tony next year!

Do not attend this musical if you’re looking for a completely original story. Some have complained that the story is too “generic”, but I think the beauty of this show is that the story can take place in any neighborhood, in any setting. The setting of Washington Heights gives the story a unique “flavor”, imo. And watch it before it transfers to Broadway! I fully expect to see a performance on TV next year at the Tony awards.

Broadway.com has a fantastic video here, you get samples of the music, dancing and rapping. Here’s a cool video of Lin-Manuel Miranda rapping on the set of the show, and another hilarious video of Miranda as a 10 year old kid. The slight choking in the middle and the perfect execution of the splits hints at the talent of Miranda, even at age 10. Bravo!