REVIEW: Aurora Theatre’s IN THE HEIGHTS Soars
This is the theatre’s second mounting of the show, having staged Atlanta’s first professional production of it in 2016.
Lin-Manuel Miranda’s first musical In the Heights takes standard Broadway fare and moves it slightly more uptown - to 183rd Street, to be specific, an area known as Little Dominican Republic in the midst of the Washington Heights district. Lawrenceville's Aurora Theatre has its patrons do the same, moving a little further north outside the Perimeter to see their own new production of this Tony Award-winning musical. This is the theatre’s second mounting of In the Heights, having staged Atlanta’s first professional production of it in 2016.
In the Heights tells the story of a community of largely Latinx New Yorkers as they live, struggle, and celebrate together. A winning lottery ticket has been sold to someone in the area, and the promise of a brighter future is the dream of many in the neighborhood. The central focus is Usnavi de la Vega, owner of the local bodega where the ticket was bought, played by Diego Klock-Perez. It’s no surprise Klock-Perez has played this role before (including a decade ago at Aurora) as he dances through tongue-tripping lines with ease and employs a perfect mixture of humor and heart.
Usnavi’s store serves as an axis around which other businesses and characters orbit - the Rosarios’ taxi business down the street is struggling, as is Daniela’s hair salon. Yet all the people of Washington Heights keep working hard.
As Abuela Claudia, the kind, fervently religious older woman who seems to be the backbone of her community, Felicia Hernandez also returns from Aurora’s initial production. Hernandez not only shows sweet, grandmotherly warmth, she also lends a voice to the struggle of immigrants, a voice that gives the audience chills during “Paciencia y Fe.”
The actors who fill the streets of Washington Heights are numerous, but there are multiple standouts. Isa Martinez shines as Nina Rosario, making a complex role seem effortless. Benny is played with slick humor and brilliant physicality by Russell Alexander II. Lauren Horgan’s Vanessa gives a performance that is fun and exhilarating yet emotional and heartfelt too. The company is made up of consistent triple-threats from top of the bill to the bottom. The dancing is especially noteworthy, blending Latin moves with breakdancing alongside more traditional musical theatre dance.
It is obvious from the production that director-choreographer Ricardo Aponte is working with not only a terrific cast but an amazing technical team too. Shannon Robert and Brandon Roak’s set is immense yet intricate, brilliantly turning inside out and opening like a clever puzzle at times. The lighting choices under Maria-Cristina Fusté are perfection, with clever sunrises, fireworks, and non-diegetic moments, working perfectly in tandem with Aponte’s choreography.
Aponte has managed to make amazing source material even better by incorporating small and beautiful touches like slice-of-life moments between scenes - girls jumping rope, neighbors watering plants, a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it gay couple on their fire escape. The sheer scope of his direction demonstrates his respect for both his craft and cast, whose performances, in turn, match his meticulousness.
What’s more, the entire theatrical experience at Aurora’s Lawrenceville Arts Center home is top notch. Every single person working (and volunteering!) at the theatre is helpful, kind, and excited to be there. The lobby itself has been turned into Washington Heights, the bar a bodega offering themed drinks, a fundraiser of scratch-offs to mimic the lottery theme (a chance to win free season tickets? Yes, please), and a booth where audience members can buy flags to represent their own Latinx heritage. Given that - according to the most recent US census - Lawrenceville’s Latinx community is roughly a third of their total population, it was extra fun to see the multitude of different colorful flags waving during the “Carnival del Barrio” number.
From beginning to end, Aurora’s production of In the Heights is a treat. Click here for more information and to purchase tickets to the show, running now at Lawrenceville Arts Center through June 21.
In the Heights photo credit: Casey Gardner-Ford Photography
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