Music & Lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda
Book by Quiara Algeria Hudes
In the Heights is the story of a group of people turned family living on one corner of Washington Heights in New York. The show follows a young conveneince store owner named Usnavi who feels he has to keep everything together to make sure his loved ones, including Abuela Claudia and cousin Sonny, are taken care of. Usnavi longs for family and believes that going back to his parents home, the Dominican Republic, will solve his problems when Abuela Claudia wins 96,000 in the lottery and plans to give a third of it to him.
Ernie Pruneda plays Usnavi. This actor did a fantastic job of portraying this self proclaimed “dork” of a character. Pruneda’s ability to charm an audience could not be matched. He was charismatic and neurotic at the same time. Usnavi rarely leaves the stage, so this actor’s stamina was definitely put to the test. Ernie was fully engaged through the entire show. While I would have loved for Pruneda to have a better flow as a rapper, the emotional intensity he gave was on point. What a mesmerizing actor!
Big shout out to the costume designer. Usnavi’s costumes were a beautiful mix of old Hispanic menswear and young. Pruneda’s frame was built for both. I was also in love with the use of color.
Alina Alcantara was the most beautiful actor to watch on stage. Abuela Claudia is not of blood relation to any of the other characters but is everyone’s abuela or grandmother on this block. Alana made me feel like I was seeing my own grandmother whenever she came on stage. Her physical movements gave the appearance of a woman many times her age. This actress never broke even when limping off stage after her scenes. Paciencia Y Fe, Claudia’s solo about her migration to the US was perfect. Watching this actress reflect on her journey to New York as dancers whirled around her had me wishing the number went on another 10 minutes.
Zach Infante is my choice for MVP. Sonny is not only comic relief, he is also a symbol of change and evolution of what’s to come from the children of immigrants. Infante was lovable and so memorable, he is now at the top of my list of people to watch out for. If this young man wins a Tony in the future I will not be surprised. This actor’s ability to create a fresh take on Sonny without being some cliche latin kid was at an expert level. Zach came out at the top of the show with a fire that flooded the stage and didn’t stop till the lights went out.
Juan Cantu delivered an incredible performance of Inutil as Kevin Rosario. The song chokes me up every time and this version was no different. Juan reminded me of my own father with his performance as a strong, stubborn Puerto Rican man who would do anything for his family. Sidebar, this is my favorite character. I’d love to play him one day.
I could go for hours about every actor in this show so here's a run down. Bert Rodriguez was the perfect Paraguay Guy, funny with an incredible voice. Kayla Alvarez was hysterical as Carla and didn’t let a shoe mishap get in her way. Vicky Campadonico was a vibrant Daniela. Leesa Castaneda killed it during Enough as Camila Rosario. Deon’te Goodman was pretty smooth as Benny. Iliana Garcia was the strongest of all the singers and the first to get the tears rolling down my face during her performance of Breathe. Nina V. Negron was a rock star as Vanessa. It is no easy task for actresses to portray characters played by Mandy Gonzales and Karen Olivo. Iliana and Nina did it and literally gave the definition of the term "Slaying It".
My only issue during this show was the microphone levels. Many times I could not hear the actors over the music.
I want to thank the hardworking volunteers on staff for all their help. What a lovely group of people they all are. Bravo!
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