In The Heights Review (Melbourne Comedy Theatre)
Summary: The new production of 'In The Heights' is full of love, care, and fun that should be seen by every single musical theatre fan in the country.
5
A Must-See!
Before there was Hamilton, Lin-Manuel Miranda was best known for a different musical. This one also blended your typical musical numbers with rapping, but also incorporated the musical stylings of salsa and merengue to tell the tale of a largely Dominican American neighbourhood in New York City.
This show is called ‘In the Heights’, and is a musical that had a larger impact on me growing up than any of Miranda’s other works. My jaw dropped the first time I heard “96,000”, a massive number where various characters imagine what their life would be like if they won the lottery. This song seamlessly blends various hip-hop styles, funny wordplay and all, with huge dance moments, followed by verses for vocalists to show off their singing ranges by going from quiet to belting. It was impressive and unlike anything I had heard before.
Since then, the show seems to have slipped out of the mainstream consciousness, at least in Australia. We did get a film adaptation in 2021, and while it had a lot of elements that worked, the movie ultimately failed to reach an audience.
So when it was announced that a production of ‘In the Heights’ would be coming to the Comedy Theatre in Melbourne, I was incredibly excited. After attending the opening night of this production, I am more than happy to say that my excitement was not misplaced.
The show rocks.
Firstly, the casting is phenomenal. Ryan Gonzalez plays the lead, Usnavi, better than anyone I’ve ever seen before. They perfectly encapsulate every single detail about this character so effortlessly that I would’ve believed you if you told me that they wrote the show themselves. Olivia Vasquez is excellent as Vanessa as well, stealing the show every time she’s on stage. Steve Costi as Sonny nails the demanding mix of dance and rap that is required for this character, and you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who didn’t tear up at Lena Cruz’s solo number as Abuela Claudia.
My favourite characters from this show have always been Nina and Benny, and that doesn’t change for this production. Ngali Shaw is incredible as Benny, bringing an impressive singing performance, as well as some of the smoothest rapping flows of the entire night. Then Mariah Gonzalez as Nina… Perfect. I have no notes. In a show with many interconnected stories, Nina’s is both the most important character arc and the hardest to get right. For example, the movie adaptation “pick and choose” approach to which character beats they included for Nina and Benny resulted in a very sloppy final product. Thankfully, you can find none of those problems in this production.
The chemistry between the entire cast is something to behold. Vanessa Menjivar and Tamara Foglia Castaneda were a joy to watch in their characters’ salon. Alexander Palacio and Angela Rosero brought great depth to the show with their performances as Nina’s parents. Dayton Tavares may be the best dancer to ever hit the Comedy Theatre stage, and everybody loved Richard Valdez as the Piragua Guy.
A good musical is nothing without its band, and everyone in the orchestra pit is bringing their A-game. The instrumentals are tight and will instantly have you moving in your seat. Equally, the choreography is varied with different styles of dance, and a lot of care has gone into ensuring each character’s movements feel unique. I also want to shout out the lighting designer, Jamine Rizk, for the very creative way she approached a fireworks sequence in this show. I’ve never seen anything quite like it.
Now that I’m at the end of this review, I genuinely can’t think of anything from this production that didn’t work for me. This is a show full of love, care, and fun that should be seen by every single musical theatre fan in the country.
In The Heights is currently playing at the Comedy Theatre in Melbourne until 6 September 2025. Tickets can be found here.
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