In The Heights (Original Broadway Cast Recording)

The heights referred to in the title of the Broadway musical In the Heights is Washington Heights, a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan adjacent to the George Washington Bridge largely occupied by working-class Hispanics, many of them from the Dominican Republic and other islands in the Caribbean. Lin-Manuel Miranda, who stars in the show and is also given a credit for conceiving it as well as writing the songs, clearly knows the neighborhood intimately. When, at one point, a character reminisces about the subway trains, the IRT 1 and 9, that serviced the area, his character, Usnavi, quickly points out that the 9 has been discontinued. Usnavi, the owner of a bodega (a small grocery) who dreams of returning to the Dominican Republic, is not only knowledgeable about local transportation. In the introductory song "In the Heights," as he introduces the many other characters in this ensemble piece, rapping over salsa music, he uses words such as "exacerbated" and at one point, speaking of the high temperature, notes, "It's gotten too darn hot like my man Cole Porter said." Usnavi is, in other words, a bit too well educated to be what he claims, and the mixture of closely observed street life with erudition is typical of the show's writing, just as Miranda's music, while infused with Latin and hip-hop elements, is also informed by contemporary show music writing. There's no doubt he's familiar with Stephen Sondheim as well as Jonathan Larson, whose Rent is a major influence, even if it's about an entirely different neighborhood of Manhattan. Like Rent, In the Heights follows the lives of a group of characters whose aspirations and experiences have something of a soap opera quality, though the intention is to provide a panoramic view of a bustling community. There is the sense of that neighborhood's falling apart: several of the characters want to leave, others are being forced out. (At one point, Usnavi predicts that in five years the whole city will consist of nothing but rich people and hipsters, a forecast people have been making for a century or so.) But while they're still on the hot streets, they sing and dance and interact with each other, and Miranda has captured their stories well. The large cast, also including Mandy Gonzalez, Karen Olivo, and Olga Merediz in principal roles, does well by the score on this double-CD cast album, which runs 89 minutes. ~ William Ruhlmann

Lin-Manuel Miranda began work on his musical In the Heights when he was just a sophomore in college, but there is as much maturity and originality in his music and lyrics as is found in the musicals of more seasoned Broadway veterans. The story of two days in a Washington Heights Latino neighborhood doesn't have a vastly compelling plot or action, but the themes of immigrant and second-generation immigrant families, the "American dream," and neighborhood transition/urban gentrification ring true, and the way it is all put together and performed with conviction by the cast holds attention. Miranda uses current salsa, merengue, and hip-hop sounds combined with more traditional show tune forms in a way that can appeal to fans of those genres, while exciting regular musical theater fans with rhythms and sounds not usually encountered in the stage context. It could be compared with West Side Story or Jesus Christ Superstar for breaking away from the usual, but there is still a lot in it that reflects trends in Broadway musicals from the previous 25 years or so. Most of the story is presented through the music. Songs are structured to carry the story forward and not much is lost in just hearing this cast recording. There aren't many numbers that one would think of as old-fashioned "show tunes" that could hold their own when performed out of context. "Pacienca y Fe" and the duet at the beginning of the second act are about the only ones that could work separate from the play. "Breathe," the first solo after the opening, expository ensemble, is very Sondheim-esque in its waves of climaxes and internalizations. Miranda is adept at maintaining a consistency of musical style for each character and is able to seamlessly overlap and blend those styles -- not to mention the melodies from various solos and duets -- into the ensemble numbers. He also stars as the central character of the play, another way in which he shows his talents to be equal to those with greater experience. (The only fear is that he won't be able to grow beyond this one musical.) But no one stands out in this cast as either better or worse than any other member. They all are excellent in terms of voice, intonation, energy, and commitment. In the Heights is very satisfying from a musical standpoint and deserving of the numerous Tony and other awards it received.