Dinner & A Show: In the Heights | Features

Story: It’s a hot summer day in Washington Heights, a Latino barrio in New York City. Usnavi opens his bodega for business and the regulars stream in for their coffee, lattes and other drinks. While Usnavi’s cousin Sonny tells him about his latest entrepreneurial dream, neighbors Kevin and Camila are contemplating a loan to keep their taxi business afloat.

Their daughter Nina has recently returned from her first year at Stanford, where she had received a scholarship. Camila and Kevin are very proud of Nina, as is the entire neighborhood, who view her as a success and likely to move beyond their barrio.

Nina has distressing news, though: She had to work two jobs to pay for expenses beyond tuition and thus could not keep up with her studies. She has lost her scholarship and decided not to return to Stanford. Adding to her stress level is her mutually romantic interest in Benny, her father’s non-Spanish-speaking assistant, as she knows Kevin won’t approve of their relationship.

Others in the barrio include kindly Abuela Claudia, the “grandmother” to many and one who secretly has purchased a winning $96,000 lottery ticket from Usnavi. There’s also beautiful Vanessa, who yearns to leave the home of her alcoholic mother for her own apartment and is fond of Usnavi; Daniela, who owns the beauty salon where she and employee Carla keep their customers up to date on local gossip; Graffiti Pete, a local struggling artist; and Piraguero, who competes with Mister Softee for the barrio’s frozen treats business.

Claudia tells Usnavi that she’d like to share her winnings with him to enable him to move back to the Dominican Republic, which he left with his late parents as a young child. Following a power outage and subsequent vandalism of his bodega, Usnavi decides it’s time to close his shop and move.

His friends want him to stay, however, and help keep their neighborhood alive and moving forward. Vanessa doesn’t want him to go, either. What will his heart tell him to do?

Highlights: R-S Theatrics has moved into its new home at .ZACK Incubator in Grand Center with a triumphant bang, playing to already sold-out houses with its faithful interpretation of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s smash hit musical about the vibrant life in the Latino sector of New York City.

Other Info: R-S Theatrics’ artistic director Christina Rios has put together a cast comprised primarily of Latino talent from throughout the St. Louis area for a production that, while not perfect, is engaging and enjoyable as it taps into Miranda’s buoyant optimism and infectious musical gifts.

In the Heights, with music and lyrics by Miranda and a book by Quiara Alegria Hudes, ran for nearly three years on Broadway, closing in 2011 after more than 1,200 performances. It received 13 Tony Award nominations in 2008 and won four, including Best Musical, Best Original Score and Best Choreography, and also was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize in Drama. Miranda surpassed all of that a few years later with his mega-hit, Hamilton.

The R-S production is led by standout performances by Natasha Toro as Vanessa and Cassandra Lopez as Nina. Each has a stunning voice which quickly delivers the beauty and power in two early tunes, Breathe featuring Lopez and the ensemble, followed shortly after by Toro, Jesse Munoz as Usnavi and Kevin Corpuz as Sonny singing the number, It Won’t Be Long Now.

Considering the relative paucity of space on the ZACK stage, choreographer Cecily King does an excellent job in moving the large ensemble nimbly on such pieces as the rousing opening and title number or the lively 96,000, a reaction to Usnavi’s news about the sale of a winning lottery ticket. The dancing is uplifting and invigorating.

Rios does well eliciting strong performances from many of her players, although the media night presentation was marred by abrupt, fitful pauses between scenes which frequently stifled momentum, resulting at times in an erratic, choppy pace.

Another fundamental problem was the ratcheted-up volume by the band under the musical direction of Leah Luciano, which frequently drowned out the voices of the singers to an annoying degree. Hopefully this issue and the pacing have been adjusted for later performances.

Munoz is strong and convincing as the central character Usnavi, the ‘glue’ of the barrio. Marshall Jennings displays his own fine voice as the ambitious Benny, pairing smoothly with Lopez on the number When You’re Home. Carmen Garcia fits the role of Abuela Claudia like a well-worn glove, while Kelvin Urday delights the audience as the ice-cream vendor and strolling troubadour Piraguero.

Anna Skidis Vargas is entertaining as the effervescent Daniela and Gabriela Diaz is a delight as Daniela’s slow-on-the-uptake assistant Carla. Jaime Zayas and Maritza Motta-Gonzalez nicely portray Nina’s loving but iron-willed father and his faithful but independent wife Camila, who reminds him that their business is as much hers as his.

Kevin Corpuz is humorous as the fast-talking Sonny and Karl Hawkins capably plays Graffiti Pete. In a dream sequence, Cecily King portrays Claudia’s mother, Alora Marguerite is young Claudia and Isabel Garcia is teen Claudia.

The talented ensemble shrewdly guided by Rios includes Mara Bollini, Antonio Daniels-Braziel, Melissa Felps, Evan Fornachon, Chris Kernan, Grace Langford and Sara Rae Womack. The tightly-knit band led by conductor and keyboardist Luciano features keyboardist Nick Moramarco, trumpeter Ron Foster, J.D. Tolman on reeds, drummer Mike Hansen, percussionist Peter Gunn, guitarist D. Mike Bauer, Devin Lowe on bass and trombonist Kayla Nogle.

Sarah Porter’s costumes capture the mood and the styles of “The Heights,” with a useful scenic design courtesy of Keller Ryan, Nathan Schroeder’s lighting and Mark Kelley’s sound. Bryan Pease’s graffiti art is prominently displayed as well.

Audience reception to R-S Theatrics’ production of In the Heights is doubtless greatly satisfying to director Rios and her colleagues. For the most part, cast and crew make for a pleasing and captivating evening which showcases local Latino talent as well as the universality of what it means to be a ‘neighborhood.’

Musical: In the Heights

Company: R-S Theatrics

Venue: .ZACK Incubator, 3224 Locust Street

Dates: August 24-27, September 1-3

Tickets: $15-$25; contact 252-8812. NOTE: Entire run is sold out. R-S Theatrics recommends arriving at 7 p.m. (one hour before show time) to put your name on a waiting list for that evening’s performance.

Rating: A 4 on a scale of 1-to-5.

Photos courtesy of R-S Theatrics