YOUNGSTOWN — One phrase that keeps showing up in the actor bios in the program for “In the Heights” is “Playhouse debut.”
Whether it is the opportunity to appear in the Lin-Manuel Miranda musical or the tenacity of director Caitlyn N. Santiago to assemble a cast that reflects the multicultural characters that populate the story, the spectacular Youngstown Playhouse production features an abundance of new talent joining some familiar faces.
Welcome to the Playhouse and please keep coming back. Miranda’s musical about a Fourth of July weekend in a predominantly Hispanic Washington Heights neighborhood and the interwoven stories of the people who live there is filled with distinctive characters and wonderful vocal showcases.
In a deep, talented cast, newcomers Savannah Hernandez as Nina, the local over-achiever who struggled in her first year at Stanford; Angie Mercado as Nina’s mother Camilla; Justin Pope as Benny, who works for Nina’s parents and struggles to convince her father he’s worthy suitor for their daughter; and Malina Funes as Vanessa, a woman who dreams of moving downtown from her Washington Heights neighborhood, are among the many standouts.
Hernandez has a truly stunning and expressive voice from the first notes of “Breathe,” the musical’s second number, to the second-act knockout “Everything I Know.” As an actor, she creates a character buckling under the weight of her family’s and her neighborhood’s high expectations but also conveys the qualities that made everyone expect so much from her. She and Pope make for a charming couple the audience will root for, and their vocals blend well on such songs as “When You’re Home” and “When the Sun Goes Down.”
Funes nails Vanessa’s “I want” anthem “It Won’t Be Long Now” and brings a swagger and confidence to the character. Mercado’s Camilla is very much a supporting player in a first act, but she more than meets the challenge when the spotlight shines on her for “Enough” in act two.
It’s not all Playhouse rookies driving the action. Donovan Rubante, who starred in last season’s opening musical “Singin’ in the Rain,” plays bodega owner Usnavi, the closest thing “In the Heights” has to a lead character. It’s hard to think of a more different role from suave song-and-dance man Don Lockwood, but Rubante excelled in both roles.
Miranda played Usnavi on Broadway, and many of the character’s songs rely on the tongue-twisting, rapid-fire, hip hop-inspired vocals that Miranda used extensively in his next musical — “Hamilton.” Rubante could have lost the audience with his flurry of words in the title song opening number if what he was singing was indecipherable, but his enunciation made each word pop while maintaining the flow.
Never has the back of a head conveyed such joy as watching music director Clay Colley keep the beat with his neck muscles in the orchestra pit as he conducted the band that propelled the on-stage action.
The vibrancy and the culture of the neighborhood lives in the music and dance of its people, and that live band gives “Heights” the propulsive rhythm it demands.
The choreography by Broadway dancer Amber Ardolino is the perfect visual accompaniment to those aural delights. This show doesn’t require the rigid dance formations of a musical like “A Chorus Line,” but it’s a show where the footwork needs to be organic and innate to the characters executing it. Her choreography isn’t easy, but the cast makes it look natural.
Santiago has been a behind-the-scenes force at the Playhouse for a while, but no one will watch this production and suspect it’s the work of someone directing solo for the first time. The show moves with a purposeful energy and flows as gracefully as the cast’s most talented dancer.
Like everything here, the tech elements impress. Lennon Ciavarella’s set encompasses three different businesses, some living spaces and a vibrant street with a design that allows for quick, fluid scene changes. Ellen Licitra’s lighting shifts from scorching hot daytime to candlelight during a power outage, and Carolyn Colley’s costumes are colorful and feel authentic to the time and place.
Sunday’s matinee wasn’t sold out, but “In the Heights” played to a large, enthusiastic crowd that couldn’t get on its feet fast enough to show their appreciation at the curtain call. The word-of-mouth from opening weekend should lead to few, if any, empty seats for the final three performances.
WHAT: The musical “In the Heights”
WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2:30 p.m. Sunday
WHERE: Youngstown Playhouse, 600 Playhouse Lane, Youngstown
HOW MUCH: Tickets range from $18 to $28 for adults and $13 to $23 for children (plus fees) and are available online at youngstownplayhouse.org/boxoffice/ and by calling 330-788-8739.
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