This may
be a bit backwards, since I talked about Bring
It On a while ago, but In the Heights
is simply superb. The Broadway debut of
composer/lyricist and actor Lin-Manuel Miranda, this show is in a class of its
own: a Latin hip-hop Broadway
musical. These days, just finding
something original on Broadway is no easy task, and this show delivers in
spades. I remember watching the 2008
Tony Awards – at the start of the night, I knew almost nothing about In the Heights, but by the end of the
telecast, I was cheering as it took home the award for best musical.
The
nuts and bolts of the story are fairly simple.
Set in Washington Heights, a Latino neighborhood in northern Manhattan,
the show follows its residents over the course of a sweltering 4th
of July. Everything and everyone is in flux;
all along the block, people are considering “packing up and picking up” for
different reasons. For instance, the
cheery bodega owner Usnavi longs to find his roots, the Dominican Republic he’s
never known. Daniela and Carla, the
insatiable gossips from the salon, struggle to stay afloat as their rent keeps
increasing. Bright, hardworking Nina has
just returned from college, and the site of home makes her wonder where she
really ought to be. It’s a story of
love, dreams, and family that bursts with life.
The
characters are at once familiar and specific, weaving vibrant sparks of
individuality into archetypes. They’re
all imperfect, entertaining, and utterly rootable, and they make it easy to
invest in the fairly thin plot. You care
about them instantly, hope to see them get what they want, and enjoy just
watching them spend time together.
Energetic, self-deprecating Usnavi (in the original cast, exuberantly played
by Miranda, a fantastic rapper) is of course my favorite – absolutely the heart
of the show. Also noteworthy are Usnavi’s
dream girl Vanessa and his best friend Benny, but I love them all.
The
main attraction, though, is the amazing score.
It’s Broadway’s incredible introduction to Miranda, and I love about how
truly multidimensional it is. It’s so Latin, so hip-hop, and so
Broadway, all at the same time. Some new
shows scored with modern music exude an air of “too cool for school,” like
their composers have ridden in triumphantly to save Broadway from irrelevance
and carry it singlehandedly into the 21st century. In the
Heights has no such attitude. Broadway
runs through the veins of every song, telling the story and revealing the emotional
lives of the characters with great theatrical sensibility. Oh, and Usnavi name-drops Cole Porter in the
opening number. Yeah – that happens. All the while, it’s stunningly clear that
Miranda really knows his way around
hip-hop. The rhythms are catchy (and
accompanied, I might add, by amazing choreography,) and the rapid-fire lyrics sparkle
with playful wit and smart rhymes while brimming with heart. And I’ll admit that I’m no authority on Latin
music, but Miranda is more than capable here as well. In an interview (can't find it now, sorry,) he discusses how he
incorporates a wide assortment of Latin music into the score, using
styles from Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, and other countries depending
on what character is singing and where they’re from. It’s put together so wonderfully and
lovingly. When I first got the cast recording,
I played it nonstop for months, and
it still puts me in a great mood every time I (frequently) listen to it.
Warnings
Some
swearing, drinking, and a few sexual references.
No comments:
Post a Comment