In The Heights (Sydney Opera House) ★★★½

Music & Lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda. Book by Quiara Alegría Hudes. Sydney Opera House, Drama Theatre. 20 Jul – 25 Aug, 2024.

There are few modern musicals with the heart and the energy of In The Heights. Seventeen years after its Off-Broadway debut, and just 3 years after the film adaptation brightened up the pandemic, this former Hayes Theatre production is back for a third run, this time in the Opera House’s Drama Theatre. It’s safe to say, people love this musical, and I’m one of them.

Usnavi (Ryan Gonzalez) runs a corner bodega in Washington Heights in New York with his nephew Sonny (Steve Costi). It’s an intersection for the whole neighbourhood. Across the road Daniela (Janet Dacal) runs a salon catering to the primarily South American-born clientele, and businessman Mr Rosario (Alexander Palacio) operates a car service. But times are tough. Rosario is struggling to put his daughter, Nina (Olivia Dacal) through college, Daniela is being forced to move due to high rents and Usnavi is in debt, but his biggest problem is his inability to talk to Vanessa (Olivia Vásquez). When, in the midst of a heatwave, someone in the neighbourhood wins the lottery, everyone’s life is going to change.

In The Heights hits that sweet spot of being both refreshingly original while also filled with the comfortable trappings of musical theatre. It’s a story of love and community, but it touches on the bigger, more contemporary issues of gentrification and the push-and-pull second generation immigrants feel. It’s not as “worthy” as Miranda’s mega-hit Hamilton, but it is more fun.

This production, directed by Luke Joslin, is scrappy and energetic, like the subject matter. The vocals are stunning (if you can get past the odd breathy pop of a microphone) and when the full ensemble combine for numbers like “96,000” and “Blackout” you can’t help but smile and soak in the terrific orchestrations by Alex Lacamoire and Bill Sherman under the direction of Victoria Falconer.

There’s a lot of charisma on stage with Gonzalez infusing Usnavi with an awkward charm. Vásquez’s Vanessa is a great foil for him, driven and very much her own woman. Benny (Barry Conrad) is full of handsome, youthful bravado and Lena Cruz’s instantly adorable Abuela Claudia captures the audience within minutes. 

For me, the real stars of the show are Janet Dacal and Tamara Foglia Castañeda as the salon duo Daniela and Carla. Their comedy and verve stamp every moment. Of all the performers they best balance the fine art of serving up an authentic character and also playing to the room for laughs. I wanted more stage time for them both.

There is a rather frustrating uneven-ness to the whole show which is easy to handwave in the small, independent space of the Hayes, but starts to look rough under the glare of the Opera House lights (I didn’t see the show when it was in the much larger Concert Hall in 2019, so I’m not sure how it fared there). The make-shift set looks paper thin, the choreography looks imprecise & cramped, and some costumes pop while others frustratingly blend into the backdrop. Some of the lead performers can’t back up their flawless vocals with the same level of acting, struggling to sell Miranda’s fleet-footed lyrics and seem to be happy to just hit their notes and move to their next mark.

But the beauty of In The Heights is that it is overflowing with heart, and that warmth papers over all the cracks. This is a good night out, blending romantic comedy with big tunes, and there just isn’t a better venue to “look at the fireworks” than the Opera House.