In The Heights

Though this has long been closed and I saw this years ago, I am now remembering that i went to see this since I am reviewing some of the other shows ive seen recently. And i feel it is worth dropping a little review on this since i am hispanic and enjoyed and encourage this type of production. I remember loving how real and not stereotypical they embodied the uptown hispanics and I appreciated that. I loved the dancing and the accurate vernacular. I also liked the scene transitions and set ups. As for the plot I dont remember it much, but i think it was about preserving some shops in their local neighborhood, staying true to their own people. I think. All in all glad i saw it.

It’s shows like this that make me fully appreciate the depth of quality on Broadway. In the Heights is the story of the residents in the Washington Heights section of Manhattan and how their lives change in a 3 day span. Thanks to the genius of Lin Manuel Miranda, the show’s incredible array of hip hop music and fun storyline helped it garner four Tony Awards, including Best Musical. This isn’t West Side Story, but the influence is felt here.
Similar to RENT, this atypical Broadway production focuses on some realistic themes and features some very catchy scores. It’s hard to imagine most non-​Spanish speaking audience members following along the entire way, but somehow the songs still manage to convey a very powerful meaning. And as a solo performer, Lin Manuel Miranda is quite possibly one of the most incredible lyricists one could find in the hip hop world. He delivers a powerful rhyme with so much conviction in every other sentence he spits from his mouth.
Most musicals have dry moments, where dialogues often seem boring next to the trumped up break-​out-​and-​dance scenes, but In The Heights never has this problem. Their bursts of high energy throughout the entire performance is a sight to behold and really gives a new found respect for some of the relatively unknown actors on stage.
I am genuinely excited for the national tour that was announced earlier last year. Instead of people coming to New York to see it, it can now be shown in multiple cities nationwide. In The Heights is a story of passion, chance, and love. And when it comes to Broadway shows, this one is my hands down favorite.

Best one ever!
As I mentioned before, I am no expert at this stuff, but this musical will forever stay with me. It truly made be fall in love with broadway!
The entire show, from start to finish was incredible. The story line is great, and being Latina, I was able to really connect with the musical and really appreciate the little things that made it stand out.
The music is amazing! I listen to it constantly now, in the car, in the shower– everywhere! It’s brilliant.
Definitely a must see for everyone. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll want to see it again!– whether you’re white, black, hispanic, blue, purple– In The Heights has something for all of us.

I went to see this musical several months ago and wouldn’t mind seeing again and again! I LOVE musicals, and In The Heights is one hell of a good musical. The storytelling is great, and as a Latina, I was able to appreciate a lot of little things that are part of our culture. It even brought back so many memories. I absolutely loved it. But anyone regardless of race can actually appreciate this musical… they do an outstanding job with the presentation.
The set of the neighborhood of Washington Heights is so right on, I love it. The songs are great, the dancers are fantastic, and the design is just amazing. Go see it!

My fav musical to date. It was the most engaging and relatable musicals I’ve seen on broadway. Lion King? Phantom? Jersey Boys? You watch it for the fun of live stage acting and amazing stage sets. But with In the Heights it’s different. It depicts the real life hardships and the complexity of human relationships that are relatable to anyone of any age and origin.
I had pushed it off for awhile to watch other musicals. I’m from California, and the name didn’t exactly catch my attention. In the heights? What’s that? I later discovered it is a small neighborhood named «Washington Heights» located to the north of Manhattan. I see.
What got me to finally grab a seat at Richard Rodgers theatre is that the show was ending in January (This is a late review, I know). And I’m SO glad I had the opportunity to watch this show. They brought back the original cast for the fiinal week of play, and their talent outshined the stage. I was told the main character wrote and directed the play, and I coudln’t keep my eyes off of him. He was amazing.
I hope they bring this play back someday. I’d like to take my friends beacuse I know they would enjoy it as much as I have.

Saw the show labor day weekend in 2008.
Woe to those who didn’t see the original cast’s performance. What a show! Excellent cast with a great story. No wonder they won a Tony award. It was simply awesome.

The good: Great cast, incredible dancers, beautiful staging. The auditorium was nice and clean. Great music.
The bad: I knew this was a musical… but expected them to go longer than 90 seconds between songs. Not as bad as Rent when it comes to singing, but more than I would have cared for.
Decided to go to this play after finding out it will close in January and getting discount tickets from TKTS in Southside Seaport. Really great story. In someways it felt like the latino version of Fela. The band was off the chain, dancers were on point and overall storyline was cool. Not the best play I’ve seen (Rock of Ages was better), but good enough to recommend to anyone with a Saturday afternoon available.

Even with all my bitterness for auditioning multiple times and still not having been cast as The Piragua Guy, I can’t recommend this show enough!
There are SOOOOO many shows that pump out the exact same, rehashed theme as a million of their predescessors. HEIGHTS is new, fresh and relevant!
The set work and costuming are also spot on!!! I live in Washington Heights and felt like I was watching my street throughout the entire show. The choreography is new. Not as inventive as I might like but still suiting to the style of the show (this comment does not pertain to the graffitti guy. PHENOMENAL DANCING!). And the actress who plays the abuelitA??? LOVE HER!!! CALOR INDEED!!!
And, in all Unilocal honesty, I must admit that I’m kinda tempted to figure out a way to see HEIGHTS again now that Jordan Sparks has joined the cast :-)
The only reason I can’t give them 5-​stars is because I do not like the arc of the parents. It doesn’t sit right with me. And there is far too much concentration on their story line during Act II. But that’s just me.
See HEIGHTS and decide for yourself, y’all!!!

In the Heights was well casted with many great talents. All the musical compositions were well written and unique. The storyline was solid with a number of characters performing their roles wonderfully. Jordan Sparks as Nina was very good, her voice resonated wonderfully and effortlessly. I felt bad that none of the other great actors were shown on the front program pamphlet, only Jordan Sparks. I do understand the power of advertisement and increasing revenue but dang, the whole cast was talented just put them all in!
None the less, the show was enjoyable. The story takes place in the barrios with various Spanish speaking scions whom work arduously to get by in life. At the same time the barrio was depicted as a close knit family, with people helping one another out. In The Heights is a very touching story. I would recommend this show if you haven’t seen it already.

In the Heights is an atypical Broadway musical. It follows the traditional formula in that the songs are woven around the story. However, the music is primarily Latin-​influenced and rap, which is unlike any other musical I’ve ever seen. Sometimes the rap is hard to understand, but it doesn’t detract much from your ability to enjoy the story.
In the Heights is much less of a show-​stopping spectacle than most shows. Rather, it’s a story of people living in a neighborhood and what they go through in their daily lives. The characters in the story feel like real people you might actually know and it’s easy to relate to the struggles they face.

Amazing show!!! seriously!!!
Went this past Friday with my chicas (my Domincan/​Puerto Rican girlfriends of over 10 years)…so we were very excited… Me. being a Trinidadian child… who was raised in a very strict household… and my friends totally connected with this show –as we can definitely understand the pressures placed upon us from family… to succeed… and to never disappoint our parents…
The struggles that this neighbourhood encounters can be understood by anyone who has grown up in the inner city… and you don’t have to be from «el barrio»…to understand… The performers and flow of this show is non stop… with many highs and lows… and I was moved to tears on 2 occasions… I understand Spanish… so I loved the little side bar commentaries… but even if you don’t… you’ll still get it… and follow along just fine.
A great story… that needed to be told… and I’m extremely happy to see it being portrayed on Broadway…
Corbin Bleu… wow…
I can only imagine how this show will be when Jordin Sparks joins this week for a limited engagement… might have to check it out again!
Definitely a must see…
Did I mention the 5 minute standing ovation at the end…
Yeah…its that good…

Amazing show — I loved it! The rap was totally unexpected, but incredibly fresh and current! Good story, and good development of characters.
GREAT dancing.
One warning, there is a lot of dialogue/​song in Spanish, especially in the beginning. At first, this threw me off and I was not sure I would like the show. but stay engaged because it’s worth it!

Very entertaining show about the immigrant lifestyle in Washington Heights. While the storyline is fairly predictable, the performances were terrific, especially Corbin Bleu as Usnavi. Fans of hip hop and dancing will especially enjoy this show, but you definitely don’t need to be a fan to appreciate it. A little Spanish knowledge would be helpful too, but that’s also not necessary.
We sat in Row B in the Front Center Mezzanine, which were terrific seats. You were able to see the actors up close, and get a good overview of the set design. You can get discounted seats via Broadway Box coupon codes (just google it).

One of the few great shows currently on Broadway. Don’t walk in expecting a spectacle like ‘Wicked’ and the like … where this show succeeds is in the performance and score.
The music is horn laden and infectious, a mix of hip hop — latin jazz — and soul, performed by an energetic ensemble and powerful leads. The dance numbers are few, but work in their element. The book is thin and leaves little room for character development — but hey, this is a musical.
I walked out feeling as if I spent two and a half hours on the corner of 181^st and Broadway, partially due to the realistic depiction of the George Washington Bridge … blinking lights and all … as the centerpiece of a marvelously designed set.
But it was the performers who drove it home for me, in the way they portray their characters. Forgo the flashy lights, flying nannies and falling chandeliers. This is a show worth your hard earned cash.
NOTE — if you decide to get tickets, be sure to sit in the second level of the orchestra (about 20 rows back) as the seats are raked and you won’t get stuck with someone’s big ass head in your way.

When I went, Lin-​Manuel Miranda was the star of the show. He blew my mind with the way he performed in every scene he appeared. Someone else is playing in place of him now — not sure how much that’s changed things, but recalling the storyline and music, it’s a definite must-​see.
IMO, it ranks in the top 4 out of the 18 Broadways I’ve seen.

This musical is amazing. No witches, puppets, etc., but I prefer shows about regular people. Or maybe it’s just that I can kind of relate to poor immigrant families who sing and rap.
Can’t wait to see it again at Pantages.

«Why would I go see In The Heights? I live it every day. That’s my hood.» That’s what my friend said a year ago. A year ago prices were pretty high for this show and it really deterred a lot of us from checking it out. Right now its on sale and I scored third row center stage tickets. Lucky me. I’ve never sat so close to the stage.
So where’s the appeal of In The Heights? Um, in my cartoonish world people would burst out in song and dance for anything and everything. Heck, I’m even part of the group «Life Would be Cooler if it were a Musical» on Facebook. In The Heights brings that to life for me.
In the Heights is a lot of fun. It’s nothing so original but I will say the rap narrative is really impressive. There were acts that were reminiscent of Beauty and the Beast’s «Belle» and Rent’s «Light my Candle». The songs were catchy and now I understand why Em C hums them to herself.
The musical is filled with so much heart. At times I saw Javier Munoz’s eyes glisten. If a role could move you that much after playing it day after day, that says a lot. The dancing is great and the music is upbeat. There’s even comedy mixed in. I laughed and smiled the whole way through. The crowd didn’t start dancing like the crowd at Mamma Mia but we did give In The Heights a standing ovation, which was rightfully deserved. I’ll save my dance moves for later.
The one bonus of the show is that In The Heights is conducted by Weird Al Yankovic. Don’t believe me? See for yourself.

I’ve seen it twice — loved it twice.
I saw «In the Heights» Off-​Broadway, before it’s big success as the Top Musical of 2008. And now I’ve seen it on Broadway too. It was terrific both times.
It an urban story, a 21^st Century «West Side Story.» With contemporary music too. So I’m not sure Ma and Pa Kettle from small town America would enjoy it. But for everyone else — go! It has fabulous energy, world class contemporary dancing, a great story line, and, in the Broadway edition, unbelievable voices in ALL roles.

Wow wow WOW! In the Heights just stole my heart — and won the title of my favorite Broadway musical ever (RENT is now 2^nd place… i never thought this day would come).
The music is just amazing and Lin-​Manuel Miranda’s melodic voice seriously gave me goose bumps. I could listen to this man speak all day… the musical numbers ran the gamut of Latin musical stylings and the story is something we can all relate to. Being a New Yorker makes this show totally relatable but the overall themes are universal and I’m sure any immigrant can identify with the struggles of each character. Still — EVERYONE will enjoy the amazing performances and extraordinary characters in this play! The cast is raw talent personified — go see it!!!

Buoyant energy with a saucy Latin beat is what «In the Heights» has to offer in spades, and that ain’t a bad thing on Broadway, especially with an ensemble cast this talented. I have to admit, however, the large shadow of «Rent» hangs over it in its familiar integration of an urban-​set omnibus storyline and a slew of pop-​rock ballads — but without the dangerous edge. What makes this show truly unique are the hip-​hop-​driven dance numbers infused with infectious rhythms.
The story focuses on a variety of characters living on a block in Washington Heights in Upper Manhattan north of Harlem. A bodega owner named Usnavi is the emotional center as he looks after his aging abuela next door, his grandmother in spirit. Hoping to win the lottery to return to his native Dominican Republic, he also has a case of unrequited love for Vanessa, the beautiful girl who works next door at the beauty salon. At the same time, Usnavi’s longtime friend Nina has returned from her first year at Stanford, the pride of her neighborhood, especially to her parents. They run a struggling gypsy cab company having spent their life savings on Nina’s tuition. But she is full of surprises and falls for Benny, a dutiful but hot-​tempered employee of the cab company. That’s a lot of plot already and not even close to the end of it.
Let me praise the cast, primarily Lin-​Manuel Miranda who not only plays Usnavi but also conceived and composed the music and lyrics. A genuine multi-​hyphenate talent, Miranda brings heart to his role and zest to the dance numbers. It’s only in the ballads where he saunters a bit too much into Jonathan Larson territory. Marcy Harriell just took over the role of Vanessa when I saw the show last week, and she’s vibrant and sexy. I remember her very well in «Rent» when she took over as Mimi from Daphne Rubin-​Vega. Another familiar face is Priscilla Lopez who plays Nina’s tough-​minded mother. She was in the original cast of «A Chorus Line» over thirty years ago and introduced the now-​classic «What I Did for Love». While she’s fine here, she seems underused.
Others in the ensemble are excellent, in particular, Robin De Jesus as ambiguous, TV-​obsessed Cousin Sonny; Olga Merediz as Usnavi’s earth mother abuela Claudia; and Andrea Burns as the saucy Daniela, the owner of the beauty salon. The one-​street set is impressive in the way set designer Anna Louizos captures the urban decay without removing the vibrancy. Andy Blankenbuehler’s choreography passionately reflects the driving rhythms. If «Rent» with a Latin beat is your cup of tea, come sit down because your kettle is boiling.