Review: In The Heights at the Sydney Opera House

Review by Carly Fisher

To say I fell instantly in love with In The Heights when I first saw it on Broadway in 2008 would be an understatement. This electric musical had me, like thousands of other fans, hocked from the get go as it not only challenged the conventional musical theatre soundtrack and its form, but it told the story of real people that you felt that you knew, simply by virtue of being in New York City. 

I’ve seen the show many times since, and the film too of course, and the soundtrack remains one of my favourites…controversially, even more so than Hamilton. But let’s not get into that debate. 

When The Hayes did this production in 2019, the electricity inside the intimate theatre was palpable. The colours were brighter, the dance moves sharper, the music more infectious, than most other shows I’d seen at The Hayes…and that is saying a lot because I consider that to be one of the premiere theatres in Sydney. It was magic seeing this big, robust Broadway show fit as though it was made to be performed in a small theatre like The Hayes. 

So what happens when a show is a break out success that sells out its whole season at The Hayes? It moves to The Opera House apparently and is remounted 2 years later. 

In case my fan-girling intro to this review hasn’t been clear enough - the show, in my eyes, can almost do no wrong. I love the music, I think the lyrics are not only beautiful but so cleverly universal in their storytelling - this is about one community, but could apply to so many, I have always been impressed by the choreography and the story itself is so sweet. With all of that said, something about this particular production, for me, did not soar in the way that this show usually does. 

Tough a criticism as this is, I felt underwhelmed by this production in that it did not feel that it lived up to the grandeur of The Sydney Opera House. There is a prestige that this venue carries that, unfortunately for independent productions, means that there is no way to do a show here on a budget. And the set of In The Heights felt particularly low budget. In growing the show beyond the intimacy of The Hayes, there is a suspension of disbelief that went with it meaning the reliance on a a couple posters on fabric flats (that were distractingly transparent) just did not cut it. 

To the positives - the performances were largely excellent, with the women in particular really shining. Janet Dacal (she/her) as Daniela was perhaps the most exciting to watch with a beautiful sense of character. Seeing a performance so deeply embedded in an actor that you can feel the expression through their finger tips, let alone brilliant facial expressions and stellar vocals, is simply exciting and I was thrilled for Dacal that this role gave her the opportunity to shine as she did. 

Returning to the role of Vanessa, Olivia Vásquez (she/her) is a performer oozing with confidence and as such, commending every scene she is part of. Whilst she takes the trills and frills of her vocal performance as far as they will possibly go, she remains grounded in the ambitious Vanessa and it is a lovely performance to watch. 

Though a secondary character, I found Tamara Foglia Castañeda (she/her) as Carla to be absolutely captivating whenever she was on stage. 

The ensemble too is exceptionally strong and executed Amy Campbell’s (she/her) choreography with a sharpness and urgency that made each scene electrifying to watch. In the ensemble are Mario Acosta-Cevallos (he/him), Rome Champion (he/him), Mariah Gonzalez (she/her), Jerome Javier (they/them), Tash Marconi (she/her), Malena Searles (she/her) and Kara Sims (she/her).

Ryan Gonzalez (they/them) as Usnavi is the other returning cast member and again proves that they can play this part in a way few others in Australia could execute. Whilst not the sharpest performance I have seen from them, they still delivered a very strong performance of which to be proud. 

As the first of Lin Manuel Miranda’s (he/him) major hits, it is almost impossible to comprehend that he wrote this whilst in college. A story of such power that pulls at your heart strings, no matter what community you hail from, is something so special. That through it important conversations of gentrification, immigration, a sense of community and the importance of a place to call home comes up, is testament only to his unparalleled skill. 

Whilst this production didn’t get me as excited as it did when it was at The Hayes, I certainly would see In The Heights over and over again…and no doubt, I’ll continue to cry at all the same parts! 

Image Credit: Daniel Boud