Although Lin-Manuel Miranda’s In the Heights is getting more attention these days thanks to the Seismic shift which occurred after he wrote Hamilton, the Milwaukee Repertory Theater proves that there is much to enjoy in this enchanting, salsa-inspired musical. Set in the Spanish-speaking barrio of New York’s Washington Heights, Miranda and his artistic team bring characters vividly to life. The main character is Usnavi, which Miranda himself played at the Richard Rodgers Theater on Broadway. Usnavi, the owner of a storefront bodega, has taken over the business from his deceased parents. They came to New York from the Dominican Republic with little more than their clothes. Usnavi, an infant, grew up in a world where he couldn’t even speak the language at first. Still, through thrift and endurance, Usnavi has built up his bodega to be the neighborhood gathering place. In the fantastic opening number, Usnavi raps his way through a typical morning in this scruffy section of the city. While singing, he simultaneously pours coffee to the exact specifications of each regular who passes through his shop on the way to work. It must be said that the Milwaukee Rep’s Usnavi (Ryan Alavarado) looks more than a little like Lin-Manuel Miranda, and some of his moves reminds this reviewer of the Broadway version. To be fair, however, Alavarado fully makes the part his own. Under the direction of May Adrales, he imbues Usnavi with positive characteristics: innocence, a can-do spirit and a deep devotion to his grandmother (at least in spirit), Abuelo Claudia (Yassmin Alers). The neighborhood characters are outstanding, too. Diminutive but vivacious Daniela (Lillian Castillo) has an outstanding voice and she gets the ability to use it in several songs. She owns a beauty shop where one of the beauticians, Vanessa (Stephanie Gomerez) is Usnavi’s secret heartthrob. Usnavi is tongue-tied around Vanessa, despite the coaching of his 16-year-old cousin, Sonny (played with a deft sense of defiance by Nicolas Garza). Another subplot involves Nina (Sophia Macias), the brave and smart girl who earned a scholarship to Stanford University. When she left for college, she took the community’s hopes and dreams with her. Nina returns home for the summer with a secret that she eventually shares with her parents (Tony Chiroldes and Karmine Alers). They are willing to do almost anything to keep their daughter on the right educational track, but they cannot find similar enthusiasm for the romance developing between their only daughter and Benny, a lowly car service driver (David Kaverman). He is clearly not what Nina’s father has in mind as a potential son-in-law. Benny confronts Nina’s father, saying that he has known Benny for almost his entire life. Nina, shell-shocked by the cultural divide she must face at school, longs for someone who is part of their little world.
What earmarks In the Heights as a remarkable musical is its everyday-glimpse into this world of immigrants. One of the final dances makes this clear, with flags representing Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic swaying and swinging from dancer to dancer. Choreographer William Carlos Angulo whips this number into a frenzy of swirling dancers, which builds and builds until the audience is nearly breathless. Finally, Usnavi concludes that the island of Manhattan is his home, not the Dominican Republic of his family’s heritage. It brings to mind our currently strict immigration policies. Would Usnavi’s family, with no money, no skills and little chance for making a mark in the world, be given a chance to build the American dream? As they are surrounded by a world of cracked glass, graffiti-adorned storefronts, dirty streets and subway noise, the characters of In the Heights strive to make it in the only place they know. The Milwaukee Repertory Theater does justice to Lin-Manuel’s relevant tale in a production that explodes with color, life, and rhythm.
