By Will Cox
Musical theatre superstar Lin-Manuel Miranda’s first work, the acclaimed In The Heights, is set to take over Melbourne’s Comedy Theatre in August.
With music and lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda and a book by Quiara Alegría Hudes, In The Heights was critically acclaimed on its 2005 premiere in the United States, and won four Tony Awards including best musical. Miranda went on to write the cultural phenomenon Hamilton, which won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 2016.
In the Heights during its season at Sydney Opera House. Credit: Daniel Boud
In The Heights is a hip-hop-driven musical that tells the story of a tight-knit community in the Dominican American neighbourhood of Washington Heights, Manhattan. While it’s a Latinx-specific story, director Luke Joslin says it transcends any one culture.
“It’s a real story about real people on a real street,” he says. “It’s about family, community, dreams. And it’s a great reminder of what’s important.”
It’s also notable for its Latin and hip-hop score. Joslin describes it as an “anti-musical”.
Award-winning actor Ryan Gonzalez will be returning to star in the Melbourne season of In The Heights.Credit: James Reizer
“I’ve got colleagues who hate the musical form, and they were in awe of it. At the end of the day, the music is cool to listen to. It just happens to be in a musical.”
This Australian production debuted with a sold-out season at Sydney’s Hayes Theatre in 2018, before transferring to the Sydney Opera House. Joslin was nominated for a Helpmann Award for best director in 2019, and lead Ryan Gonzalez won the Sydney Theatre Award for best actor in 2018 for their work in the show. Several cast members from the Sydney iterations will reprise their roles in Melbourne, including Gonzalez and Olivia Vásquez.
Gonzalez says the power of the show is its personal story.
“The immigrant story really hits for me because that’s what my grandparents did,” says Gonzalez. “They came over on boats and found it really hard to set themselves up in a predominantly white place. I feel like this is my dad’s story, watching his parents give up their life for their children.”
There have been numerous other productions of In The Heights in Australia over the years, including a short run at the Melbourne’s National Theatre in 2016, and a controversial staging at Brisbane Powerhouse, which was later cancelled amid furore over its predominantly white cast.
In The Heights (pictured during its Sydney season) is a hip-hop-driven musical that tells the story of a tight-knit community in the Dominican American neighbourhood of Washington Heights.Credit: Daniel Boud
Gonzalez says it was important that the show’s Latinx authenticity is maintained.
“The Brisbane production would have been an interpretation of how this community acts,” they say. “But people with that lived experience already have that story within them.”
“We have Hispanic performers as well, and some Filipino performers,” says Gonzalez. “The casting team has done an amazing job to keep looking right down to the final week before rehearsals to make sure we have the right cast. They said, ‘We need to look until we find them’.
“We’ve had a lot of Latinx and Hispanic performers in and out over the years, and the company keeps finding more, which is really beautiful,” says Gonzalez. “It proves that they are there, they just need the opportunity to get the experience.”
In The Heights is at the Comedy Theatre from August 1.
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