IN THE HEIGHTS Comes To Long Beach Playhouse, July 1 - August 5

In the Heights, from composer and lyricist, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and librettist Quiara Alegría Hudes, is a joyful story set over the course of three days, involving characters in the largely Dominican American neighborhood of Washington Heights in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It was nominated for 13 Tony Awards and won four, including Best Musical.

 

Usnavi operates a tiny bodega, and his love interest, Vanessa, only dreams of finding a studio apartment in the coveted West Village. Nina has just returned to her Washington Heights neighborhood from her freshman year at Stanford, unwilling to explain the reason to her parents who struggle to keep their small business alive. Their young employee, Benny, does his best to help the company stay afloat. It's a place where the coffee from the bodega is light and sweet, the windows are always open, and the breeze carries the rhythm of three generations of music. When a winning lottery ticket, power outage, and romantic tension combine, the long-time friends and neighbors make discoveries about each other, themselves, and the place they all call home.

 

“We selected this show for several reasons,” said Madison Mooney, Executive Director for the Long Beach Playhouse. “First, it's a great story of triumph over adversity. Add to that the music, the dancing, and the joyfulness it brings to the audience. We knew it was the perfect choice to close the Mainstage Season.”

 

Sean Gray, the Playhouse Producing Artistic Director said, “A show like this requires the right combination of talent.

 

“We put together a great team of seasoned professionals. Our director, Miguel Cardenas is an award-winning director and choreographer. We have two musical directors, Stephen Olear and Gabrielle Maldonado, both of whom are excellent directors with many years of experience in musical theater. Our choreographer, Anthony Tuason, teaches choreography and has nearly 20 years' experience as a dancer and choreographer.

 

“We were surprised by the number of actors who came to audition. It meant we were able to take the best of the best for our biggest show of the season.”

 

The 20-member cast welcomes 15 actors making their Playhouse debut, Erick Joshua Guijarro, Kat Gutierrez, Gisela Flores, Angie Chavez, Kaya Carr, Sofia Bragar, Erik Ortiz, Jacob Palacios, Kat Montanez, Katarina Brown, Alexandro Gales, Naomi Groleau, Jeremy Padrones, Ariana Rubio, Adrian van der Valk, and Capone Walker. The five returning actors are Ja'lil Nelson, Briana Gonzales-Diaz, Zachary Balagot, and Nina Rae.

 

This production is proud to be sponsored by The Port of Long Beach.



“From the music to the dancing to the plot, this show shines with warmth and inspiration,” said Gray. “Buy a ticket and prepare to leave the theater humming a tune and smiling.”

 

SPECIAL EVENTS FOR THIS PLAY:

·      Pay what you can Thursday June 29 - community members can see this production for whatever they can afford

·      Ten Dollar Preview Friday June 30 – all tickets $10 SOLD OUT

·      Opening Night Champagne Reception with cast on July 1 - Tickets are $35.00

 Sponsored by The Port of Long Beach

 

Friday: Adults are $25.00, Seniors $20.00, and Students $20.00

 

Saturday and Sunday: Adults are $30.00, Seniors $25.00, and Students $20.00. Tickets are available at www.lbplayhouse.org, or by calling 562-494-1014, option 1.

 

Long Beach Playhouse is located at 5021 E. Anaheim St., Long Beach, CA, 90804, right across from the Long Beach Recreation golf course. The Playhouse is community-supported theatre with programs and events that cut across age, gender, ethnic, and cultural boundaries.

 

Performances are 8 p.m. Friday, and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday. The box office is open Wednesday-Saturday from 3:00-8:00 pm and Sundays from 1:00-2:00 pm on scheduled matinees.

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