Review: In The Heights at HOTA

Review by Yasmin Elahi

The Gold Coast was recently transformed into Washington Heights for the dynamic Lin-Manuel Miranda musical ‘In The Heights’. This college project-turned-Broadway musical was written decades before ‘Hamilton’ became a global sensation and Miranda shot to fame. This story centres around themes of community, belonging and family, all set to pulsing salsa and hip-hop beats.

Direction by Luke Joslin was energetic and the pace of the narrative moved quickly. The blocking tied in well with the choreography and was streamlined in this manner. Joslin’s handling of the emotional scenes in act two was superb. The visually imagery, use of props and movement on stage made this the most unexpectedly heartwrenching moment of the show.

Choreography by Amy Campbell was ambitious. The hip-hop and latin blend throughout the choreography echoed Miranda’s music. However, at times less is more and the over-choreographed nature of some of the numbers came across as frenetic and messy. It would have been nice to have seen more restrained, polished and synchronised dance numbers.

Zara Stanton’s music direction was solid. The vocals were dynamic and fiery and the group numbers were rousing and vocally powerful. Stanton was also in charge of conducting the band, which was bright and punchy. Special mention to Racheal Byrnes for her trumpet solo.

Set design by Mason Browne was clever. The use of scrims and set pieces far upstage created a sense of depth and clutter, reminiscent of a bustling street. Some pieces of the stage could have been more functional, such as a real door at the top of the fire escape of stage left. This would have allowed for more interesting directing and dynamic use of the stage, rather than the entire show taking place downstage.

Lighting design by Jasmine Rizk was exceptional. Her use of a variety of lighting techniques was inspiring. The fireworks effect, with sound effects by David Tonion, was so believable and atmospheric, it was truly mesmerising. Rizk’s handling of the lights to demonstrate the heatwave was subtle but effective and really drew the audiences into the world of the performers. Lighting was easily the most captivating feature of the entire show.

Costume design by Keerthi Subramanyam was colourful and in keeping with the time and place of the show. The baggy hip-hop inspired costuming worked well in the dance numbers.

Ryan Gonzalez was charismatic as Usnavi. His performance was certainly reminiscent of Lin-Manual Miranda and he filled those big shoes well. His rap ability was solid and he was naturally comedic, bringing a lightness to the show.

Mariah Gonzalez played Nina with a well-balanced mix of innocence and feistiness. 

Ngali Shaw was charming as Benny. Vocally, his smooth and soulful voice was a nice contrast to the bright and sharp Latina tones of the other performances.

Lena Cruz gave the standout performance as Abuela Claudia. Her performance of ‘Paciencia Y Fe’ was vocally powerful and deeply moving.

Alexander Palacio gave an earnest and vulnerable performance as Kevin Rosario. His performance of ‘Inutil’ and ‘Atencion’ was equally moving and devastating.

The remainder of the company all delivered committed and high-energy performances. Overall, ‘In The Heights’ is a high-energy latin hip-hop fusion musical that unexpectedly contains some of the most moving and heartbreaking moments right when audiences least expect it. 

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