BWW Reviews: IN THE HEIGHTS Mostly Soars At The McCallum Theatre

The Tony Award winning Best Musical IN THE HEIGHTS, which celebrates life in a Washington Heights barrio, breezed in and out of the beautiful McCallum Theatre for three sold-out performances last weekend and did not disappoint – mostly.

Lin-Manuel Miranda's valentine to Washington Heights is a feast for the senses and undeniably stimulates with its incredible sights and sounds. The scenic and lighting designs all but steal the show from the actors --- it is a mirror image of its Broadway predecessor, which isn't always the case in a road production. Thomas Kail's inventive staging and Andy Blankenheimer's brilliant hip-hop based choreography are sheer magic to behold and haven't lost a thing in the "take it on the road" translation. The score is strong, the orchestrations are thrilling and getting swept away in the Latin rhythms and the show's inherent energy is inescapable. What suffers a bit in this production are the performances.

The problem with this particular ensemble is that they don't bring any real humanity to their characters --- they come off more like caricatures of the original cast members, overplaying their roles as if delivering punchlines and, because of this, none are very likeable. Thus, it is hard to care. When Abuela Claudia passes away in the second act. It just seemed contrived, and no authentic emotion flowed between character and character or cast and audience. It was difficult to be moved or surprised or connected to any of the events in the lives of these people because they did not appear to be very connected themselves. Virginia Cavaliere's "Nina" did not garner much sympathy for her circumstances in a bubbly but one-note performance and her vocals were much too thin on the higher notes that were meant to sail. Presilah Nunez's "Vanessa" was harsh and unlikable and it was hard to believe Usnavi's deep infatuation for her. Robert Ramirez's "Sonny" was so over the top and cartoonish that the majority of his comic lines and bits fell flat. Christina Aranda's "Abuela Claudia", too, was over the top and caricature and she seemed too young for the role – as if she put on a gray wig and was "acting" like an old woman --- except for her wonderful performance of "Patience and Faith" that finally displayed a modicum of depth. Perry Young delivered a fairly strong and consistent "Usnavi" but, like the majority of the cast, was so "rote" in his performance that he didn't effectively pull the audience in to his personal story.

The single stand-out performance was that of Celina Clarich Polanco whose "Camila" was honest, believable, multi-dimensional, and her performance of "Enough" was the most authentic moment of the evening. After all of the critique, I have to say that this was a very talented group of actors and singers. The ensemble vocals were clean and energetic and, mostly, stirring. That is why I felt it was such a shame for them to miss the very reason we come to the theatre rather than a movie screen – to FEEL! I would challenge them to pull back on the shtick and go back to the text and re-discover how they were originally moved by this wonderfully simple and inspiring story and, once again, strive to inspire.

The production was slick and polished and looked like a Broadway Show in every way. It just missed the mark emotionally and that, in my opinion, is the only reason to spend an evening in the theatre. The McCallum, once again, deserves kudos for a wonderfully engaging and varied season.

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