This may be a bit backwards, since I talked about Bring It On a while ago, but In the Heightsis simply superb. The Broadway debut of composer/lyricist and actor Lin-Manuel Miranda, this show is in a class of its own: a Latin hip-hop Broadway musical. These days, just finding something original on Broadway is no easy task, and this show delivers in spades. I remember watching the 2008 Tony Awards – at the start of the night, I knew almost nothing about In the Heights, but by the end of the telecast, I was cheering as it took home the award for best musical.
The nuts and bolts of the story are fairly simple. Set in Washington Heights, a Latino neighborhood in northern Manhattan, the show follows its residents over the course of a sweltering 4thof July. Everything and everyone is in flux; all along the block, people are considering “packing up and picking up” for different reasons. For instance, the cheery bodega owner Usnavi longs to find his roots, the Dominican Republic he’s never known. Daniela and Carla, the insatiable gossips from the salon, struggle to stay afloat as their rent keeps increasing. Bright, hardworking Nina has just returned from college, and the site of home makes her wonder where she really ought to be. It’s a story of love, dreams, and family that bursts with life.
The characters are at once familiar and specific, weaving vibrant sparks of individuality into archetypes. They’re all imperfect, entertaining, and utterly rootable, and they make it easy to invest in the fairly thin plot. You care about them instantly, hope to see them get what they want, and enjoy just watching them spend time together. Energetic, self-deprecating Usnavi (in the original cast, exuberantly played by Miranda, a fantastic rapper) is of course my favorite – absolutely the heart of the show. Also noteworthy are Usnavi’s dream girl Vanessa and his best friend Benny, but I love them all.
The main attraction, though, is the amazing score. It’s Broadway’s incredible introduction to Miranda, and I love about how truly multidimensional it is. It’s so Latin, so hip-hop, and soBroadway, all at the same time. Some new shows scored with modern music exude an air of “too cool for school,” like their composers have ridden in triumphantly to save Broadway from irrelevance and carry it singlehandedly into the 21st century. In the Heights has no such attitude. Broadway runs through the veins of every song, telling the story and revealing the emotional lives of the characters with great theatrical sensibility. Oh, and Usnavi name-drops Cole Porter in the opening number. Yeah – that happens. All the while, it’s stunningly clear that Miranda really knows his way around hip-hop. The rhythms are catchy (and accompanied, I might add, by amazing choreography,) and the rapid-fire lyrics sparkle with playful wit and smart rhymes while brimming with heart. And I’ll admit that I’m no authority on Latin music, but Miranda is more than capable here as well. In an interview (can't find it now, sorry,) he discusses how he incorporates a wide assortment of Latin music into the score, using styles from Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, and other countries depending on what character is singing and where they’re from. It’s put together so wonderfully and lovingly. When I first got the cast recording, I played it nonstop for months, and it still puts me in a great mood every time I (frequently) listen to it.
Warnings
Some swearing, drinking, and a few sexual references.
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