In The Heights is the perfect antidote to a London winter’s evening. Fast paced, with a sparkling cast and sizzling dance numbers, it is utterly gripping and entertaining, the King’s Cross Theatre providing a portal to the vibrant world of New York City.Guided by the charismatic Usnavi, the audience are introduced to the personalities of the neighbourhood, and follow their stories as they face all that life can throw at them.
Luke Sheppard’s production is a triumph. The staging is nimble and innovative, a necessity in the complex space that is the King’s Cross Theatre. The cast are strong across the board. The powerful voices of the two young female leads deserve recognition, as do the moving performances of Eve Polycarpou as Abuela and David Bedella as Kevin. The latter two in particular stand out, as they encapsulate what make this production more than simply slick and energetic.
In The Heights manages to be entertaining and thought provoking at the same time. It asks some pointed questions about society and the way it treats its poorer members, particularly if those members belong to a community with international heritage, but at no point does it fall into the trap of being preachy.
In The Heights manages to be entertaining and thought provoking at the same time
The real strength of this production is not in its dance numbers or its musical prowess, although both are excellent, but rather in the humanity established by its characters. The few minor problems, which are either inherent in the show itself or eminently fixable by the creative team, were less of a problem than they might have been, as at every stage we cared too much about the people whose lives we were watching to do more than register them.
That being said, and I stress that I am being particularly picky here, the production is not perfect. There were moments when, next to the high energy of the dance numbers, dialogue fell unnecessarily flat. When contrasted with the far more interesting love interest between Usnavi and Vanessa, the budding relationship between Benny and Nina seemed a little forced. Finally, the first few moments of the show are somewhat bewildering, as the audience struggles to adjust to Usnavi’s fast paced rapping and strong accent. All these are momentary imperfections however, which detract only slightly from the strength of the piece as a whole.
In an era when the London theatre scene is full of tired musicals, whether they are in need of a revamp or were simply born that way, Luke Sheppard’s production is fresh and exciting, and I cannot recommend it highly enough.
As a Michael Jackson fan I was intrigued how the evening would pan out, hoping it wouldn’t just be a concert with carbon copy Michael Jacksons.