The Official "In The Heights" Love Thread.... — Page 80

Nope no one but people in the cast know (Or if they told any one.) When they want the public to know then they will tell us.

I've just joined recently, but this thread is pretty much the reason why I'm here. In the Heights is my drug. I've gotten so obsessed with it...so I'm gonna go ahead and rant now. =)

I haven't actually seen it yet because I didn't have enough money to travel down to NYC to watch it (I'm Canadian). I'd been waiting months, and I've FINALLY saved up enough, and I'm finally FINALLY going in the winter break. I'm almost in tears at the very thought of this opportunity.

PACIENCA Y FE!

It absolutely broke my heart to learn Karen Olivo left in November though. Of course I'm sure Marcy Harriell is magnificent and will make a great Vanessa... But listening to the soundtrack continuously for months and looking forward to this show so much, and just ONE month before I make it, to have one of my favourite leads leave is still heartbreaking to me. I've gotten so used to Karen's voice, her personality as Vanessa, and her interaction with Usnavi/Sonny/Nina/Daniela and Carla. Watching Harriell will definitely be a different experience.

Still, I'm eternally grateful for the incredible cast for...pretty much existing. Every single one of them - even the swing - bring so much talent into the show. And as a visual artist, I'm blown away particularly by the set design, costume design. Not to mention the choreography, lighting, the direction. And -of course- the music, acting, singing, and...the imagination of it all.

I guess it goes without saying that Lin-Manuel Miranda is a genius. Multi-talented, funny, hard working, and so so sweet.

The show as a whole has inspired me in ways I can't even fully comprehend yet. All I know is that I feel alive when I listen to the music, watching clips, interviews...anything; and the feeling is just incredible.

I remember reading something Karen Olivo once said, and this is just me paraphrasing her words from memory: "When I'm working on [in the Heights] I feel like I'm making art."
And I definitely understand that, and feel the same even as an audience: Like I'm witnessing art. But with its contemporary setting, and the shout out to younger students leaving home for the first time, struggling to make it in a given environment, dreaming of a better life, dreaming of doing bigger things, understanding your culture and your place in the world, where you're from and where you belong, I feel as if they're talking directly to me, and that I'm very much part of this work as well.

(Though having said that, I think I'd kill to be able to actually work in production for them :P! My dream is to work for creating storyboards and set design for the movie, but I'm willing to make coffee for the coffee makers of the understudies, and I'd do it with pride. Point number two that broke my heart - I never expected movie talks this soon for the show, and I was really serious about pursuing such a job; only right now, as a sophomore student, I'm nowhere near being able to achieve that position. I just didn't expect movie talks this soon. :/)

Anyway, I think for now I'm content to watch the show on Broadway. =D

I. Can't. Wait. I'm so excited.

I'm particularly VERY curious about the performance of "Blackout". I'm hoping a few seconds of the song will actually be properly pitch dark with no lighting at all. That would be EPIC! It's my favourite song, I think, though I really can't choose between them all. The first time I heard it I broke into tears - which is a good sign, really.

And I've heard it a million times of course, but I still choke up pretty quickly for it. It starts somewhere around Karen Olivo's effin' fantastic emotion standing out amongst the "Oh no, oh no" in the very beginning (hear it again if you haven't caught it before, her "NO" just stands out just that precious little more). And I love Robin de Jesus and Olivo's "I can't find Usnavi" and Olivo's "You left me alone" and Robin de Jesus' "We are powerless."

And effin' hell, pretty much the entire collaboration of voices of Benny, Nina, Usnavi and Vanessa makes this song into something ten steps above average - This song, alone, can be the show's greatest achievement.

But of course I love them all. All. They're just so incredible. 96000 is such a great piece; and Carnaval del Barrio is -again- phenomenal on its own.


Interestingly enough the only part of In the Heights I disagree with is the underplayed Usnavi/Vanessa stories. I love Benny and Nina + family, but I felt the show leaned a little too heavily on their stories alone and didn't cover Vanessa and Usnavi's as well, I thought. I actually relate to Nina the most I think, but I've also felt like Vanessa on a lot of occasions but so little is known about her actual character - her family life, or even where she's from...? Usnavi's story is also overshadowed I felt, for a main character.

I love that the show covers a lot of characters too, by the way, I don't mean that it should all be about Usnavi - but I definitely felt uneasy with the number of solos Nina got in relation to a character like say, Sonny - whom I adore. He seemed to have a LOT to say in the short space of time he had in 96000. He seemed to have dreams of his own, and a strong passion towards the Barrio, and I felt like these were hardly touched upon before the show focused again on Nina's issues.

So I would've loved to have more stories about them all. Just because I love the neighbourhood, and I've grown so attached to everyone in it. There's just so much potential, and I often wonder if Lin-Manuel has untold stories for them - as any creator often does. =P

I'm actually very curious about the book. I hear that it isn't very well written at all, but I'm curios nonetheless if it gives any different/extended/in depth stories...


Anyway, I've ranted enough I think. I have a few (VERY MINOR and UNIMPORTANT and SILLY :P) questions about the show, and I didn't want to create another thread, so I'll just ask here:

1) I watched a promo clip of the opening song, In the Heights, and I noticed there's an extra instrumental addition to when Usnavi is singing: "You do rapid mathematics automatically, selling maxi pads, fuzzy dice for taxi cabs..." etc. that's not in the cast recording CD. I was wondering if it was just the promo addition or if it actually happens in the show, because I loved it. It's high pitched, and extremely hard for me to explain. :P

2) The 'siren' that's in 96000, towards the end...? That's not in the CD either...is it in the show? That's another bit I love!

3) In "No Me Diga" the CD version:

Vanessa: "Ay, no! He'd never go out with a skank like that! Please tell me you're joking..."
Daniela: "Okay. Just wanted to see what you'd say."

only in a clip I heard it was different:

Vanessa: Ay, no! He'd never go out with a skank like that."
Daniela: "Well what do you want him to do? Mi hija, he can't wait forever for you!"

~ So which one is actually in the show? :P


Heh, like I said, unimportant, silly, and minor questions that just interest me for some unexplainable reasons. Eventually, (WHEN I FINALLY WATCH THE SHOW !) I'll figure them out on my own, but I thought I'd throw 'em out there anyway. xD


...I'll sum it up: I can't wait. :P
Peace and love.

I've seen the show 4 times and have to say, I always look forward to 'Blackout', it is by far one of my favorite numbers - you wont be disappointed. NityaC when are you seeing the show?

"I contemplated not answering your questions because I'm excited for you getting to see Heights for the first time :), but..."

Haha I know what you mean: I ask, but it's mostly out of excitement for watching the show than to really know, because..well, I'll find out soon anyway. :P

But thanks for answering them! I don't have the clip/can't remember where I saw it. And they're all from a while ago actually, so I'm pretty outdated on stuff... :

"- you'll be happy with Blackout"

"I've seen the show 4 times and have to say, I always look forward to 'Blackout', it is by far one of my favorite numbers - you wont be disappointed. "

I didn't think it was possible for me to be more excited, but I think I just got more excited.

"NityaC when are you seeing the show?"

I don't have a specific date yet, but it's in late December, almost near the New Years.

Which is risky, I know, particularly because I want to catch the main cast, and they might be taking more days off during that time...

But I'm still hoping for the best. =)

"And I love Marcy Harriell, caught her for the first time on Sunday, a very enjoyable performance- Vanessa's in great hands."

Ooh I hope so. I'm both excited and nervous about her. =)

I saw today's matinee (yay for lotto seats!). Eight months was far too long to go without seeing ITH .

A few thoughts:

I really liked Marcy. A lot. Her Vanessa was completely different from Karen's and I'm okay with that. She came across younger than Karen did. Marcy also seems a lot more comfortable with the dancing.

Carlos sounds... terrible. His voice is shot.

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Updated On: 11/22/08 at 09:48 PM

Hey guys!

So, instead of doing the work I need to do I ended up procrastinating with my amazing In The Heights cast recording. Home y'all enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bdf9aVzmNhw

So here's a stumper for all my fellow In the Heights fans - Why are there sirens at the end of $96,000? What do they signify?

P.S. We need a name for ourselves already. Rentheads, Jekkies, The Guilty Ones...what are we?

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"P.S. We need a name for ourselves already. Rentheads, Jekkies, The Guilty Ones...what are we?"


NO! We do not need a name besides In The Heights Fans!

Actually I'm the administrator on The Heights. And yes that person was upset other people found out about Karen but other things you stated are not true. You are basing that on the Broadway Secrets idiotic thing. The reason no one wants a name is because it hasn't turned out well for Rentheads or Guilty Ones or whatever they call themselves. It is very fan girly (or boyly or whatever) But we don't want to be known as some stupid crazy fan. Some people have tried to call themselves "Heightsheads" which i think is incredibly stupid. Why does every fan base have to have a stupid name? And people abuse the name and when they aren't actually say a Renthead then they still call themselves Rentheads. It's all stupid.

Drunk Chita Rivera, True that!

"Well, I didn't find out about it from BroadwaySecrets. I didn't mean to make a generalization, but I've seen the phone thing happen at performances. "


How do you know it's them? This is America, millions of people can't live without their cellphone.

Was at the today's matinee, thanks to lotto for time number 8!
I was excited to see Marcy but got the pleasure of also seeing Marcus Paul James as Benny!

Now I had seen him in RENT as Collins and Solo2, and his Benny proves he is a versatile actor. He had a very different take on Benny, as he played him much more dorky rather than cool. His voice is soulful and incredible and his chemistry with Mandy was great. Does anyone know if this was his first time on? He flubbed a couple lines in the beginning, but nothing major. The other people I was with didn't notice. Also, when he first joined ITH, he had his dreads, but they were gone today! I don't know how long ago he cut them but in case you didn't know, they're gone! He looks like a different person without them! In comparison to Chris Jackson, his voice is much more soulful with a touch of classic while Chris's is more modern. Whose voice do I prefer? I can't decide, I like both. However, I think Marcus's acting is far superior to Chris's.

Now, Marcy. She's too cute, and so little! She was my first Mimi and I was excited to see her! Overall, I think she is great and very different than Karen. Her voice isn't as silky or as strong, but it is still powerful and gives we chills. I did like her acting choices better than Karen's overall. Part of it may be that she looks younger and more like a college-aged kid, but I believed her character more. She isn't as "ghetto" as Karen's Vanessa and seems more sincere. I was able to notice more about Vanessa today. Marcy's eyes are huge and gorgeous and really make her more vulnerable ( I guess it's hard to explain ). She is a great addition to the cast. If she had the same amount of chemistry with Lin as Karen did, I'd say she'd be PERFECT in her own way. Hopefully, with time, that'll happen. I love her hair!

Other things that stood out.
-Andrea (with a Janet Cameo)'s BCEFA speech
-Carlos's voice (in a very bad way). This really takes away from the part. His emotion and acting is great, but the voice is horrendous. Inutil is hard to listen to, and his couple lines in Blackout (my favorite number) is almost ruined because of him cracking. This has been going on for too long, as each time I see the show I comment on this.
-Eliseo's "Here come all his customer's my WAAAAYY..."
-Nina Lafarga... she's just my favorite... I have a small crush on her.
-I have never seen such a long line at the men's restroom! I almost missed Sunrise.
-Once again, audience was on its feet immediately. But this time the cast deserved it (unlike yesterday when I saw Grease...)

The Sold Out sign was up by curtain. There were still tickets left after lotto but not many. Tonight's show is sold out too.