In the Heights - COMMENT ON FIRST HALF ONLY- 7 Aug 2025

COMMENT based on first half only.

MUSICAL THEATRE

Music by Lin-Manuel Miranda’s, book by Quiara Aegría Hudes 

At Comedy Theatre, Melbourne, until 6 Sept 2025

Reviewer: Kate Herbert

Stars: NA 

NB: This is only a COMMENT, not a review of the production. My comments are based on only the first half that I was to attend on 7 Aug 2025. This comment is published only on this blog. I discussed the show with Nick Tolhurst on Arts Weekly on 3MBS on Sat 16 Aug 2025. KH

Ensemble, In The Heights_Melbourne

 

 

 

 

Lin-Manuel Miranda’s In the Heights, with book by Quiara Alegría Hudes, bursts onto the Melbourne stage with vibrant Latin beats, rap-infused energy, a swirl of salsa hips, streetwise swagger, and an exuberant celebration of Latin American community life in the New York neighbourhood of Washington Heights. 

 

First staged in 2008, the show fuses Latin rhythms, R & B, and the rapid-fire rap style that Miranda would later refine in Hamilton. This Melbourne production is a feast of movement and music, its sassy, saucy choreography that fuses salsa, hip hop, and street dance into an irresistible whirlwind. But the musical has an uneven narrative construction. 

 

The story unfolds over three days during a sweltering summer. Usnavi (Ryan Gonzalez), a young bodega owner, dreams of returning to his parents’ homeland, the Dominican Republic. Around him, neighbours and friends struggle with love, ambition, identity, and the pressures of rising rents. Nina (Maria Gonzalez), the pride of the barrio, comes home unexpectedly after dropping out of Stanford. Benny (Ngali Shaw), the only non-Latino in the community, is in love with Nina, while Vanessa (Olivia Vasquez) yearns to escape to an apartment downtown. A winning lottery ticket, a sudden blackout, and the death of the beloved matriarch, Abuela Claudia (Lena Cruz), all push the characters towards moments of truth and change.

 

Most of the cast are of Spanish-speaking backgrounds which lends authenticity to the New York Latino culture in the story. Olivia Vasquez delivers Vanessa’s yearning with conviction, her fine musical theatre voice soaring in her solo moments and adding a poignant layer. Maria Gonzalez’s Nina is quietly affecting, her emotional conflict sensitively played, particularly in her scenes with Shaw. Ngali Shaw is charismatic and warm as Benny, bringing sincerity and charm to the role without overplaying it. There are other strong performances, but (from my viewing of the first half of the production only) the vocal technique of some other cast is limited.

 

This production’s choreography is a high point — sensual, flirtatious, and joyously precise — marrying Latin dance styles with street dance in a way that gives the ensemble’s work infectious energy. Much of the music is irresistible: salsa beats collide with merengue, bolero, and freestyle rap, showcasing Miranda’s knack for layering musical styles to reflect cultural identity. 

 

However, the uneven storyline is less satisfying (in the first half, at least). With its shifting focus and multiple subplots, it lacks a strong central figure to anchor the emotional arc. Usnavi’s narration ties the vignettes loosely together, but the piece still feels more like a series of interconnected sketches than a driving narrative.

 

The first half of this In the Heights delivers a vibrant street party of sound and movement. Yet beneath the kinetic dazzle, the script’s structural weaknesses and diffuse focus hold it back.

 

NB: My comments are based on only the first half that I attended on 7 Aug 2025.

 

By Kate Herbert

 

Cast

• Usnavi De La Vega: Ryan González
• Vanessa: Olivia Vásquez
• Nina Rosario: Mariah Gonzalez
• Benny: Ngali Shaw
• Sonny: Steve Costi
• Abuela Claudia: Lena CruzTo
• Daniela: Vanessa Menjivar
• Carla: Tamara Foglia Castañeda
• Kevin Rosario: Alexander Palacio
• Camila Rosario: Angela Rosero
• Piragua Guy: Richard Valdez
• Graffiti Pete: Dayton Tavares
• Ensemble & Swings: Asmara Soekotjo, Jemma Gonzalez, Trevor Santos, Malena Searles, Mario Acosta-Cevallos, Jerome Javier, Selina Salgadoe

Creative Team

• Director: Luke Joslin
• Choreographer: Amy Campbell
• Music Director: Zara Stanton
• Music Supervisor: Victoria Falconer
• Associate Choreographer: Sela Vai
• Resident Director / Company Manager: William Centurion
• Lighting Designer: Jasmine Rizk
• Costume Designer: Keerthi Subramanyam
• Tour Producer: Madeleine Gandhi
• Production Manager: Alex Duffy
• Sound Designer: David Tonion