The Official "In The Heights" Love Thread....- Page 92

[LondonNow]

Posted: 8/19/10 at 2:15pm

Yes, Andrea is coming back in September. I think Sep 2nd or 3rd is what I read. At the stage door, she said in about 3 weeks, so that kind of lines up. I also noticed her acting as Janet's "official" stage door photographer (/videographer?), but I missed the cell phone thing during blackout. She and Janet left the stage door scene hand in hand and got into a taxi. I assume there was a cast party afterwards. Bianca is fantastic as Daniela, but I kind of wish Andrea could have come back to the show just for the night.
The audience clapping along thing was really weird. I have never seen/heard that before at Heights. I can kind of, sort of see it during Carnaval- maybe- but during When the Sun Goes Down? Really just no. The ushers or someone finally shushed them before the end of that song.
I loved Janet rocking her real hair, but having finally gotten used to the wig, it was jarring when she first ran on stage.
And in the category of noticing little things, I'll add that I recently noticed that there's a framed photo of Mandy at the back of the dispatch part of the set. I wonder if now they'll add one of Janet, or if there's one of her somewhere in the salon. I also noticed that the newspaper someone is reading at one point has on the front cover, "Tragedy in el Barrio." I assumed it's a throwback to the "double-decker bus wreck" (on 192nd) referred to in Benny's Dispatch.

[Anakela]

Posted: 8/19/10 at 5:23pm

Have you found the picture of Karen in Daniela's yet? (Hmmm, actually, I wonder if it's still there- will have to check next time I go.)

The audience clapping along thing was really weird. I have never seen/heard that before at Heights. I can kind of, sort of see it during Carnaval- maybe- but during When the Sun Goes Down? Really just no. The ushers or someone finally shushed them before the end of that song.

If you lack the ability to find the beat that should be your first clue that you should not be clapping along. Whatever, not even the most annoying school group ever could take away from Tuesday night's show.

I was at Heights one night when parts of the audience decided to *snap* along to When the Sun Goes Down, but that lasted through maybe the first line of the song, nowhere near the length that the clapping went on.

[Orangesaretuesdays]

Posted: 11/2/10 at 12:10pm

I can't believe it's closing! It had a great run and it's a great show!


I thought this thread needed to be brought back! Updated On: 11/2/10 at 12:10 PM

[dancingthrulife04]

Posted: 11/2/10 at 12:18pm

Have you found the picture of Karen in Daniela's yet?


HILARIOUS. I'm pretty sure it's still there.

[singingbackup]

Posted: 11/3/10 at 5:21am

Thanks to frequent flyer miles and my current underemployment, I will be there for the bittersweet final performance in January. How I love this show and am thrilled it lasted a good long time. It holds loads of great memories.

[rmusic11322]

Posted: 11/3/10 at 2:18pm

On November 1st, In The Heights cast members (and real life couple), Jon Rua and Gabrielle Ruiz, made their duo-debut as Usnavi and Vanessa. I wish I was there to see it. Adorable.
Updated On: 11/3/10 at 02:18 PM

[dancingthrulife04]

Posted: 11/3/10 at 2:21pm

I was there!! That was Monday night. They obviously had a lot of chemistry and played off of each other really well. It was so cute. "Champagne" was really powerful. I hope they get to go on together again.

[rmusic11322]

Posted: 11/3/10 at 8:34pm

I'm so jealous of you! haha. I hope they get to go on again so I can see them. I missed that performance by one day. Grr!
Do you mind giving more of a review of the show?

[picturetaker9211]

Posted: 11/4/10 at 12:55pm

I'm going to see it on Saturday for the first time. I'm ridiculously excited!! My seats are in the second to last row in the rear mezzanine (yay for being a poor college student!), but I'm not worried because I heard the theater is relatively small.

Does anybody know who comes out of the stage door to sign stuff/see fans?

[Anakela]

Posted: 1/10/11 at 1:18am

I figured if I was going to do one of these that it would be appropriate to do it here...

2007. June. People I know have been telling me for a weeks now how I have to check out this show at 37 Arts called In the Heights. How "you, especially, will love it!" Ok, fine, whatever, I'll go- where even *is* 37 Arts? :) So I splurged for a $35 full price house seat, and went to see this show that I'd been told that I would love.

I still have my ticket stub, and Playbill insert, from that night.

Fast forward to a move to Broadway...
- to the first show after the Tony nominations were announced
- to the first show after the Tonys
- to the first time I ever saw Janet Dacal u/s Nina, and how I texted someone at intermission that she needed to be the lead in something right now, please.
- to being obsessed with Josh Henry before Scottsboro
- to seeing Seth Stewart as Usnavi, and Eliseo Roman as Kevin, and Doreen Montalvo as Camila, and all of the other understudy performances that I loved
- to my In the Heights BC/EFA posters, hat, script, cd and everything else I've purchased through the years
- to attending I've lost count of how many cabarets, benefits, fundraisers, readings, etc. that Heights cast members were performing at (and to hoping that they continue doing Cabaret Cares, which has become my favorite)
- to too many other things to list

And end it with today....

Starting with the matinee, where I was sitting next to a woman who had not seen the show before, knew virtually nothing about it. During Lin's entrance applause that went on, and on, and on, hee, she leaned over to me and asked "ok, who is that?" (Which might be my second favorite Lin comment ever, right after "that dude from House is in a show?!?") (Sorry Lin.) After 96,000 she said "this. is. amazing." And after the show? She was planning the list of people in her hometown that she needed to email, to set up a group, to take them all to go see the Heights tour. I was positively *living,* seeing the show through her fresh eyes, and how this piece of art is continuing to go on and touch people.

And end it with the evening show, with all of the entrance applause, and the standing ovations, and the flags, and the cell phones, and the audience with the "sigue sigue" and "hey!" and Lin's post-show speech, and all of that love in that theatre. It was amazing. Thank you.

[rmusic11322]

Posted: 1/10/11 at 6:18am

"Starting with the matinee, where I was sitting next to a woman who had not seen the show before, knew virtually nothing about it..."

Oh, hey! I was there at the stage door when I heard you tell Doreen about this story. I was the teenager with brown jacket on, trying to start a conversation with her, but was getting too start stuck. LOL.

[Anakela]

Posted: 1/10/11 at 9:49am

Ha! What can I say, it's a good story. :)
I saw the matinee yesterday through the eyes of someone who had never seen the show before, and saw the evening show from lotto; couldn't have scripted it better if I'd tried. Grateful.

[newnewyorkersdotinfo]

Posted: 1/10/11 at 12:08pm

Man, I would've loved to be at closing night of IN THE HEIGHTS. This show changed my life. I'm passionate about encouraging young professionals new to NYC to attend theater as much as possible. Thus, I was compelled to write about HEIGHTS (and the experience of Broadway shows in general) on my blog for newcomers to New York City — I thought you guys, as fellow musical lovers, would enjoy it!

---Sarah, founder, NewNewYorkers.info, the only blog just for NYC newcomers

[Love4Theatre]

Posted: 1/10/11 at 12:23pm

I saw the show this past Saturday. I would have bought tickets to the finale, but I travel from California, andI had to work today. It was amazing, the audience was electric. I sat next to people who have seen the show several times. One girl who I was sitting next to, had never seen the show, but she bought the cast album and listened to it continuously. She loved the show. Everyone sitting in the row I was seated at were dancing and really digging the show. It was awesome. This was the ninth time seeing the show for me, fifth time seeing the show in NY. What a way to end. Sad to see it leave.

[DottieD'Luscia]

Posted: 1/11/11 at 5:08pm

Anakela, I loved reading your stories about In the Heights. I had no idea that Seth Stewart went on for Usnavi! How was he?

I saw the show for the first time in previews and closing night was my 6th time. I've got to admit it wasn't my favorite performance of seeing this show. I think that belongs to the very first time I saw it, and was so caught up in the joy of what I was seeing on stage. It annoyed me on Sunday to no end that the girl in front of me stood up before the end of the show and blocked my view of Lin's final lines. I did love the audiences "Hey" in the Carnaval number. I was also amazed at how quiet they were when Kevin announced that Abuela Claudia had died.

[Anakela]

Posted: 1/11/11 at 8:26pm

Thanks! Truthfully about a minute after I posted all that I considered deleting it, but...

Seth was amazing. Brilliant. Wonderful. Insert positive adjective of your choice here and it will probably apply. He went on twice; two scheduled shows amongst a week's worth of understudy Usnavis back in July 2010, and my only regret was that I saw him on the second of his two nights, or else I would have absolutely come back the following night to see him again.

He completely brought it (I think having a few other u/s on that night helped too- this was the cast: Michael Balderrama (u/s Graffiti Pete), Seth Stewart (u/s Usnavi), Tony Chiroldes (u/s Piragua Guy), Olga Merediz (Abuela Claudia), Alejandra Reyes (u/s Carla), Bianca Marroquin (Daniela), Rick Negron (Kevin), Priscilla Lopez (Camila), Jon Rua (Sonny), Christopher Jackson (Benny), Courtney Reed (u/s Vanessa), Gabrielle Ruiz (u/s Nina)...), I couldn't even handle it during Alabanza, he was just so good.

[DottieD'Luscia]

Posted: 1/11/11 at 8:50pm

I am so happy you didn't delete any of that!!

The last time I saw this show was in June to see Corbin Bleu as Usnavi. So glad I got to see Courtney Reed as Vanessa - she was wonderful!! I'm sorry that Eliseo Roman was on as Kevin that day because that would have been the last time I would have seen him as Piragua Guy.

I know there were a number of replacements since the show opened, but it was odd for me to see someone else in Luis Salgado's track.

[Anakela]

Posted: 1/11/11 at 11:15pm

So glad I got to see Courtney Reed as Vanessa - she was wonderful!!

Speaking of Courtney Reed for a second, how hilarious was her spot-on imitation of Daniela's pronunciation of "dysfunction"? I don't know when she started doing that, but when I heard it for the first time during the matinee I almost fell over laughing; I loved that it got her a moment of applause during the evening show.

[DottieD'Luscia]

Posted: 1/11/11 at 11:18pm

That was the only time I saw Courtney as Carla and I really liked her.

[rmusic11322]

Posted: 1/11/11 at 11:52pm

I've seen Courtney as Carla all the 3 times I've seen the show and the final matinee was the only time where she said disfunction like that. It was pretty great. I was actually saying that one line in my head all day at school, on Monday. I wish I could have "discovered" the show earlier than I did, so I had more opportunities to see different casts and experience. Let this movie be a mega hit! :)
Updated On: 1/11/11 at 11:52 PM

[LondonNow]

Posted: 1/12/11 at 12:32am

Courtney is extremely funny and was always so gracious at the stage door. As I posted recently on the Heights' Forum site, I'm not sure when Courtney started delivering that "dysfunction" line that way. She didn't the times I saw the show over the summer (I think I first noticed it when I saw the show at the end of November), but I would love to have seen Andrea's face the first time she tried it. During the New Year's show, her delivery of that line (and the way she reacted to Andrea's reaction to her delivery of that line- countering Andrea's sort of double take and hard stare with unbroken eye contact and a "proud of myself" grin that just got bigger the longer and harder Andrea looked at her) got her a solid round of applause, which I'd never seen before. The line often gets a laugh, but not, in my experience, a round of applause. It just got funnier and funnier the longer they each held their wordless reactions (a bit like a game of chicken, not knowing who's going to back down first), culminating in a round of applause before Marcy could get out the next line (" I *know* the rule...). The final show was similar, though the exchange didn't go on for quite as long.

What *did* go on long, which I loved, was Andrea's interjection during It Won't Be Long Now. After a fairly earth-shattering "Vanessa!!!!," which always cracks the audience up, she just silently held that look on Vanessa, Usnavi, and Sonny for a good 10 seconds before continuing quickly and relatively quietly with, "I'm thirsty..." The longer she drew it out, the funnier it got because Marcy, Lin, and Shawn were looking at her, holding such expressions on their faces, and they *couldn't* say or do anything, as none of them had the next line. They were at Andrea's mercy, so to speak, and the whole thing got big laughter and applause from the audience. Just one of many memorable bits from Sunday night.