In The Heights Review 6/6

[JudasIscariot]

Posted: 6/9/08 at 12:53pm

On Friday, June 6th, I had the absolute of seeing one of the best shows that I have ever seen in my life. I bought the tickets to 'In The Heights' on Thursday, the day before. My friend said that he would come with me, and so I was excited and bought them. Only about ten minutes after I bought them did he decided that we wasn't going to come. Of course, this put me 110 dollars in the hole. I asked a few more friends to come, and everyone of them said no. Finally, I had someone that looked promising, but he pulled out the morning of. Luckily, I was finally able to find one of my friends who payed me full price for the ticket just hours before I actually left for New York. Thank God!
So, I'd never seen a show at the Richard Rodgers' Theatre before, and I loved it. The theatre was gorgeous, but the set to 'In The Heights' was really breathtaking. It looked fantastic! I loved the backdrop, the authetic city look, the shops, the bodega. Everything was beautiful! The ushers were nice, didn't have any sorts of problems with them.
It was my first time seeing 'In The Heights' and I was treated to two and a half hours of complete, utter joy. I've never experience a show like this before. For some reason, just being in that theatre made me extremely happy. The lights came up, and the energy on the stage, just during the opening song even, was awe-inspiring. These people looked like they loved what they were doing, and they put everything they had into it.
I'm going to go through, cast member by cast member and tell you what I thought of each. I have to say, this show has a fantastic ensemble. Each and every member of this show pulls their weight.

Andrea Burns (Daniela) - She has a great voice, and great comedic timing. Carnival del Bario was a real show-stopper. I've never seen her in a show before, but I really enjoyed her performance. She was also really talkative, and really sweet at the stage door. I hope she goes on to great things in the future, because she is hilarious, has an extremely powerful voice, and is wonderful.

Janet Decal (Carla) - I love this girl! She is cute, and he voice is even cuter. Her performance was hilarious, and she has real chemistry with Andrea Burns. I loved everytime that she was onstage. There is just some quality of her voice that makes it instantly lovable. Maybe it's the innocense that makes her so cute, but whatever it is, great character choices on her part.

Robin de Jesus (Sonny) - What can I say? He was amazing. If he doesn't win the Tony, it will be a personal upset. You love him from the minute he comes on stage. His character spans so many different emotions, and he plays it beautifully. His best moment in my opinion was during 'Blackout'. I won't spoil it for you, but there is a small scene, and I just can't get it out of my head how great he was. I wish he would have gotten some more to sing on his own, because he has a great voice. Lin and he play off of eachother fantastically. He really deserves the Tony.

Carlos Gomez (Kevin) - While I didn't like his character too much, I thought his performance was great. Inutil was spot on, and emotional. He did a great job, and there was nothing wrong with his perfomance in my opinion.

Mandy Gonzalez (Nina) - She is wonderful! Mandy has a great voice, and Nina is such a great role for her. You can really feel her pain throughout the show, she is a fantastic actor. I love listening to her sing, but how she sings that score eight times a week is beyond me. A true talent, I am excited to see her in future shows.

Christopher Jackson (Benny) - He is great in his role. I love when he is on the dispatch. Christopher is hilarious, and he has such a great voice. He blends with Mandy very well, and they you can tell that they are having so much fun on stage. He really was great.

Priscilla Lopez (Camila) - Haha, she was great. I loved her song, and I was glad that she had her own little chance to shine. Everyone knows how great she is, and I am going to sound like a broken record because I think that the entire cast is great. I loved her performance, and she was an excellent addition to the cast. It was great to see her live finally in a show.

Olga Merediz (Abuela Claudia) - Give this woman a Tony! She really deserves it! Her performance was so moving, so raw, and so real. I loved everything about it. When she was onstage, she was so captivating. She made you really feel for her character, and in Act 2, you are floored. Her song 'Paciencia y Fe' is show-stopping. She sings it beautiful, with so much power. The Tony voters would be insane to not give her a Tony, her performance is simply beautiful.

Karen Olivo (Vanessa) - Great chemistry with Lin. She is another one who has to sing those huge notes eight times a week, and still sounds gorgeous doing it. My friend commented that she was the most beautiful cast member, and that it really reflects her amazing voice. I loved her in the role, and she acted the hell out of it.

Seth Stewart (Graffiti Pete) - He is so memorable. His character is great, and his scene at the end of the show with Usnavi and Sonny is very emotional. He is an amazing dancer, and left me wishing that I could dance like that. He puts so much into his character, and it really shows. Fantastic guy, fantastic performance.

Eliseo Roman (Piragua Guy) - He is easily the most underrated cast member. I hadn't really heard anything about him coming into the show. I liked his song on the cast recording, but I didn't listen to it much. He blew me away in the show. I was happy every time he came on stage, he is instantly likeable. He has such a fantastic range, and his voice is beautiful.

Lin-Manuel Miranda (Usnavi) - Hands down, one of the best performances I've ever seen in anything. Lin puts so much into this show. He captivates every single time he comes onto stage. His character is so likeable, and you can tell that he puts everything into his performance every single night. He really deserves the Tony award. To think that he wrote the show, and acts as beautifully as he does is flooring. He was my favorite cast member, and I just can't imagine the show without his presence. He loves what he does, and that is incredibly obvious. I can't sing his praises enough. The emotion that he puts into his role, the care, the love, it's all enough to put anyone else to shame. He is amazing.

I loved the score. I don't really like Latin-flavored music, so that is why I expected not to like the show when I first heard about it. After getting the demo, I became hooked. I wanted to see the show so bad, and when I got the cast recording, I fell in love. Every single song is great, and I love the rapping in a broadway show. Lin-Manuel really outdid himself, and his score truly deserves the Tony as well. Hell, just give this show all of the Tonys that it is nominated for! The music makes the show so amazing. The Act 1 Finale is flooring. There are little moments in the songs that are enough to give anyone chills. Loved the score.

The lighting, staging, orchestra, and expecially choreography were great. I love all of the artistic choices in this show. I just loved everything about the show. It was such an enjoyable evening, and it has such a big heart. I truly want this show to win, as it deserves the highest of praises.

I will be going back for sure. I've told all of my friends how great it was, and I can't stop listening to the cast recording. I was so happy that I got to see it. If you haven't seen this gem yet, go immedietely. You owe it to yourself to see this work of art. It is funny, charming, beautiful, and all around fantastic. I loved this show, and it was easily one of the best theatre experiences that I've had in my life.

[Mealz1042]

Posted: 6/9/08 at 1:15pm

I'm so glad you loved it. I agree with pretty much everything you said (though I'm assuming you haven't seen Gypsy if you think Robin and Olga should win the Tonys. I would be THRILLED if they did, but i really think Laura and Boyd are more deserving)

[DottieD'Luscia]

Posted: 6/9/08 at 1:16pm

What a wonderfully enthusiastic review!!. Thanks for sharing and I'm so glad you finally got to see it. I also hope that Robin De Jesus wins for his performance.

ITH was one of the few shows I have seen which has brought me to tears by the sheer joy that was radiating from the stage.

Updated On: 6/9/08 at 01:16 PM

[Testing1232]

Posted: 6/9/08 at 1:21pm

Great review !!! Thanks for sharing !

[JudasIscariot]

Posted: 6/9/08 at 1:41pm

Thanks guys! I just can't spread my love for the show enough!

[sweetestsiren]

Posted: 6/9/08 at 3:01pm

Glad you liked it! I adored it, too.

The Act 1 Finale is flooring.

Absolutely. I was thinking about it recently, and I have to think back ten years to my favorite show, Ragtime, to remember when I'd last seen such an enthralling, edge-of-your-seat Act I finale.

[Marianne2]

Posted: 6/9/08 at 3:14pm

Great review! Now I am too excited for the 26th when I'm going. Glad I bought my tickets ahead of time with the Tony's next week.

[broadwayfan7]

Posted: 6/9/08 at 3:24pm

Thanks for sharing! So nice to hear you enjoyed yourself. It truly is a wonderful show!

[JudasIscariot]

Posted: 6/9/08 at 5:41pm

You are going to love it Marianne. I can't wait until I get to go back for a second time.

[DottieD'Luscia]

Posted: 6/9/08 at 6:06pm

Where did you sit? If I'm up that way for the 4th of July holiday, I'm definitely going to see it again. I'm trying to get my sister to go with me.

[Testing1232]

Posted: 6/9/08 at 8:20pm

I think the shows on the 2nd and 3rd of July are going to be really special !!!

[JudasIscariot]

Posted: 6/9/08 at 8:23pm

I'm going to see the show again on July 3rd.

I was sitting in the Front Mezz, row D. Great seats.

[broadfan327]

Posted: 6/9/08 at 8:38pm

I was lucky enough to win the 6/6 lottery for this show, and I also enjoyed it immensely for my first time seeing it. I think this show is more important in its potential to transform Broadway than Passing Strange. It did have a weak book though, as has been pointed out by other posters.

[Mealz1042]

Posted: 6/9/08 at 10:43pm

i mean the book was definitely a little weak, but its really ot nearly as bad as everyone maks it out to be! It's a nice heartwarning story, i think it's inspiring (it is for me anyway) and there are tons of memorable one-liners.

People remember the experiance of laughing throughout the show and enjoying their time, you know?

[broadfan327]

Posted: 6/9/08 at 10:51pm

I had a great time at the show. I remember visiting my grandmother who lived in Queens in a neighborhood similar to the one in the show, and it brought back great memories of her. I found the story to be fine, but people who are expecting deep character development and/or a unique story are not necessarily going to find it here.

[lola_actor22]

Posted: 6/9/08 at 11:21pm

I've just decided that I'm going to see it 100% for sure now after reading your review!

[DottieD'Luscia]

Posted: 6/9/08 at 11:24pm

I think I'm one of the few people who doesn't have a problem with the book.

[JudasIscariot]

Posted: 6/9/08 at 11:26pm

Same here, Dot.

[TooDarnHot]

Posted: 6/9/08 at 11:31pm

What book?

Glad to see you enjoyed the show!

For me, I really just enjoyed the music (and Robin De Jesus) so it's good to see you were pleased with the score.