Conceived by 28-year-old Lin-Manuel
Miranda, who also wrote the score and
plays one of the leading roles, the show
has an unlikely setting: a Washington
Heights neighborhood featuring such
establishments as a bodega, a unisex
hair salon and a car service operation.
Depicting the lives and loves of a
variety of Latino characters over a
long, hot Fourth of July weekend, it
bursts with a vitality that only seems
more pronounced in its larger home.
The
scene is set with the titular number, a
rap ode to the neighborhood delivered by
the bodega owner, Usnavi (Miranda). We
are then quickly introduced to the
disparate cast of characters, including
Nina (Mandy Gonzalez), a 20-year-old who
has just returned from her first year at
Stanford; the neighborhood patriarch,
Abuela Claudia (Olga Merediz); Nina's
loving if overprotective parents (Carlos
Gomez, Priscilla Lopez); the gossipy
salon owner, Daniela (Andrea Burns), and
her financially strapped employee
Vanessa (Karen Olivo); and Benny
(Christopher Jackson), the car
dispatcher who takes a shine to Nina.
Even
the minor characters are given their due
in the proceedings, such as the Piragua
Guy (Eliseo Roman), who sings about
providing the sweltering neighborhood
with its icy treats, and Graffiti Pete
(Seth Stewart), whose artwork proves
unexpectedly moving in the show's final
moments.
Quiara
Alegria Hudes' entertaining book —
revolving around such plot elements as
Nina's parents having to sell their
business after she loses her college
scholarship, or a winning lottery ticket
that might provide the solution to
several of the neighborhood inhabitants'
problems — has its formulaic aspects.
But the generally amusing dialogue and
engagingly drawn characters go a long
way towards overcoming its cliches, and
Thomas Kail's consistently clever
staging smoothes over all the rough
spots.
Miranda's excellent musical score,
incorporating hip-hop (he proves to be a
smooth-flowing rapper as well) and Latin
elements, is consistently tuneful and
fun, and Andy Blankenbuehler's sexy
choreography adds to its impact. The
undeniable highlight is the Act 1
finale, set in a dance club in which the
ensemble gets to show off their sizzling
moves only to be hilariously interrupted
by a mock blackout.
The
largely intact ensemble, composed of
seasoned pros and talented newcomers,
has only gotten better since last year's
off-Broadway run, and Anna Louizos'
striking neighborhood set design,
dominated by a looming George Washington
Bridge, well fills the expansive stage.
Cast:
Usnavi:
Lin-Manuel Miranda
Daniela: Andrea Burns
Carla:
Janet Dacal
Sonny:
Robin de Jesus
Kevin:
Carlos Gomez
Nina:
Mandy Gonzalez
Benny:
Christopher Jackson
Camila:
Priscilla Lopez
Abuela
Claudia: Olga Merediz
Vanessa: Karen Olivo
Graffiti Pete: Seth Stewart
Original
concept/music-lyrics: Lin-Manuel
Miranda; Book: Quiara Alegria Hudes;
Director: Thomas Kail; Set designer:
Anna Louizos; Costume designer: Paul
Tazewell; Choreographer: Andy
Blankenbuehler; Lighting designer:
Howell Binkley; Sound designer: Acme
Sound Partners.
