In the Heights--ITS TERRIFIC!!!!

[Holbee]

Posted: 1/14/07 at 6:26pm

I live in Washington Heights and have always thought my neighborhood had a sountrack all to itself. And this wonderful show encompasses the Hispanic spirit like no show has since "West Side Story".

It's also very good, even in its fifth preview. I LOVE the cast. Twenty minutes too long in the first act, some non-organic character leaps for plot sake in the second...besides that its pretty wonderful in a lot of ways.

A third of the score is modern hiphop/rap, a third pop, and a third straight up B'way. All with an underlying Latin beat.

A talented, 100% likable cast, the standout being Lin-Manuel Miranda who wrote the music and lyrics and is also the star. (If I had known that going in I may have turned and run screaming, but he's a true multi-talent.)

The preview prices for next week are 26.25 per ticket. Its cast is large for an off B'way musical so the producers (who also produced Rent, DeLa Guarda, High Fidelity and La Boheme) are obviously planning to move it to Broadway if it gets the reviews it deserves. So see it now for a quarter of the price you'll be paying for it in a couple months.

The show is at a new off'B'way space called 37 Arts on 37 St btw 9 & 10 Ave ( I assume its new, I've never heard of it).

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 1/14/07 at 6:29pm

Funny....everyone else I've heard from hated it.

[SDav 10495]

Posted: 1/14/07 at 6:32pm

S to the hill.

[Neverandy]

Posted: 1/14/07 at 6:33pm

I liked it. It need some trimming though,
I get what you say about the neighborhood though The funny thing is - I know so many actors that live in washington heights I kinda wished the were represented in the piece!
I am not being a hundred percent serious!

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 1/14/07 at 6:53pm

Nah, there are other posters who liked it.

Miranda is a really talented guy, so I'm looking forward to checking this out.

[Holbee]

Posted: 1/14/07 at 7:00pm

Also, one of the stars is the kid who played the cross dresser in "Camp".

He almost steals the show.

[Benzy92]

Posted: 1/14/07 at 8:01pm

count me in for LOVING this musical-- saw the first preview and again on Saturday, and it just keeps getting better and better!

[everythingtaboo]

Posted: 1/14/07 at 10:38pm

Went to the second preview and loved it, and will probably go again next week, when I'm on vacation, to catch it again.

[All_For_Laura]

Posted: 1/14/07 at 11:16pm

It was okay. Had some plot issues. Overall a good show.

[krolockskid]

Posted: 1/15/07 at 9:41am

I really liked this show when I saw it last week. There are some parts that drag a little, but overall it was really enjoyable. :) And I love Mandy Gonzalez. If nothing else, go to see her performance in this!!

[basketcase]

Posted: 1/17/07 at 11:49pm

I saw it the other night and found it quite enjoyable. I agree that Act I is definitely a bit on the long side, but I never really felt bored. Mandy Gonzalez was great, although not believably 19...sorry. Lin-Manuel Miranda and Robin deJesus were the highlights for me. I enjoyed the rap/hip-hop element even though I wouldn't generally consider myself a fan of that sort of music. Overall, I'd say the show was pretty good though.

Unfortunately, I really can't imagine it finding an audience on Broadway. I think a lot of the show's charm will be lost on the out-of-town audiences.

[being.jeremiah]

Posted: 1/18/07 at 1:47am

Excited to see it next week! My ticket agent said it's looking into transferring to Broadway, but who knows.

[Benzy92]

Posted: 1/18/07 at 11:18am

there are two songs up on their myspace.. they are from an early demo, but they still give a good taste of the score :)
In the Heights MySpace