Wintering Heights

Buffalo Rising 0

By Art Fortel

Bam!

Like a fistful of spice, In The Heights promises to add heat to the midwinter stretch of our theatre season with its arrival at Shea's Performing Arts Center.

This musical takes its title from its setting, Washington Heights, the middle-class neighborhood on the northern tip of Manhattan. For over a century, The Heights has been a steppingstone community for those moving from the ghetto into the mainstream of the US. Today, it is a Caribbean island on the Hudson.

Most of Manhattan is a grid of streets, but in the heights they rise, fall and wind like in a rustic village. The ambience is both familiar and foreign. Tenement stores are fenced in by skyscrapers. Signs in English, Spanish and Criollo advertise groceries from back home, phone calling cards to keep family connections alive and CDs: hip-hop, merengue and salsa. The diamond necklace that is the George Washington Bridge stretches above everything, a beautiful promise as well as a tightrope, tenuous whether traveling forward or back.

In The Heights depicts the efforts of its hard working residents, who try to keep cool through a few summery days, with goodwill, music and dreams about better days. The flavors and sounds of "home" fuel In The Heights, lifting a story about a generation torn between tradition and ambition. The denizens are nostalgic for old ways, with one eye on the future. The play's dramatic tension is the emotional tension pulling at the characters' hearts. Expect added poignancy in the coming week's shows in light of last week's earthquake in Haiti.

This high-hearted, high-energy show simmered in workshops for years before its explosion on Broadway in 2008. By the end of that season, it had danced off with an armload of honors, audience love, and four Tony awards including Best Musical, Best Original Score, Best Orchestrations and Best Choreography. After most musicals, audiences leave singing its songs. After In The Heights, they may leave the theater dancing to them.

Lin-Manuel Miranda is the young father of this lively phenomenon. He conceived In The Heights while still a student at Wesleyan Collage, staging a production there with his own music and lyrics. When In The Heights opened at the Richard Rodgers Theatre in March 2008, he played the role of Usnavi, the character who introduces the audiences to the neighborhood (Kyle Beltran plays this role on tour). From campus to Times Square to the road, Miranda has proven dreams can take you far. That is the story of Miranda's life, and it is the beat at the heart of In The Heights.

This one week engagement in Buffalo begins at Shea's on Tuesday, January 26th, and offers eight performances, closing on January 31st. There are Saturday and Sunday matinees. For tickets and times, call 1.800.745.3000 or visit Ticketmaster. Note: Shea's is offering a $10 student discount (A&B level seating) for January 26th and 27th performances. Offer valid at the Shea's Ticket Office only with current student I.D.

Be sure to check for all the before and after fun with cast members!