NC Theatre's Magnificent Rendition of In The Heights

Originally published in Indy Week’s A Year In Superlatives, Best of 2018 Issue: January 2, 2019

NC Theatre’s cast of In The Heights

Lin-Manuel Miranda’s name has been buzzing since Hamilton took the world by storm, but seven years earlier, he wrote and starred in In The Heights. Taking place in the Washington Heights neighborhood of New York City, the musical tells a story of a Dominican bodega owner who contemplates the meaning of home and belonging as he witnesses his rapidly changing working-class community of Latinx and Black residents respond to gentrification. Quite a bit has changed in this country since the debut of In the Heights in 2008, when hope was a springboard into the Obama era. A decade later, the relevancy of the themes was evident at Raleigh’s Memorial Auditorium in October. The local cast and crew captured the essence of a New York barrio through a vibrant and colorful set, lively choreography, and blaring rap and salsa music, encouraging the audience to dance in their seats. One of the best scenes and songs of the production is “Carnaval Del Barrio,” a celebratory ode to Latinx pride and culture. It is poignant to see a stage full of different shades of Latinx identities raising their flags proudly in unison, especially in today’s tense climate of deportations and barriers to American citizenship for the people the musical celebrates. NC Theatre made a timely decision in bringing the show back to the stage at a time when hope felt distant (oh, and Hamilton was about to come to DPAC). Miranda’s lyrical story is a heartwarming reminder about resilience against significant change and the power of a community’s love