In The Heights

As far as design for In The Heights goes, I was really impressed with how well the set, the lighting, and the blocking design all came together, especially considering how this is a touring show, and no two stages are alike.

As soon as I walked into the theater, my eyes were instantly drawn to the elaborate and complex set. What could have easily been accomplished with paint and backdrops had been replaced with impressive three-dimensional and texture based elements. What I mean by this is that the brick buildings really showed their texture, whether they were real brick or not, I still had the impression that they were real. Another impressive part of the set was Usnavi’s store, which was complete with a real awning and a swinging door. All these aspects, when combined, really helped make me feel like I was in Washington Heights. Set designer Ana Louizos really went to great lengths to ensure that the audience really felt like they were in the neighborhood with the cast. Aside from the elements listed above, the multiple levels of the set really added to its depth and helped make the stage seem a lot bigger than it actually was, which is also quite impressive.

Another design element that really impressed me was the lighting. Besides the standard floodlights, I was really impressed by the small and detailed lighting that occurred throughout the show. For instance, when the scenes changed throughout the day, the audience was able to tell profession in the day due to the lighting on the backdrop of the stage. If it was day, the backdrop was light heavily with white light. If it was mid-day and afternoon, the lighting on the backdrop was moved slightly up to symbolize the suns positioning. At dusk, the light changed to a light orange-amber, and at night, a moon-looking light shone upon a otherwise dark backdrop. While these things may seem small and easily looked over, I found this slight transition to be one of the more visually pleasing things throughout the show. Another lighting design element that I rather enjoyed were the fireworks during the 4^th of July scene. Not only did the lights move to represent fireworks shooting off, but there was also a bright flash followed by a “pop” noise to symbolize a firework going off; very impressive.

Finally, I was extremely impressed with the blocking design throughout the various scenes and musical numbers. I felt that the dances were not only choreographed extremely well (the show was re-choreographed and re-directed for travel by Michael Balderrama) but I really felt the hustle and bustle of the neighborhood due to the specific positioning of the characters in both the fore and back ground of the stage. For instance, when the cast was signing “96,000” and they were moving from the front of the stage to the back as well as people popping in and out of the balconies, I really felt like they were traveling throughout a neighborhood. The use of the intricate blocking, combined with a spectacular and extremely detailed set really sealed the deal for my imagination, allowing me to truly appreciate all In the Heights had to offer.

Plot Summary: A group of Dominican immigrants in a lower-class New York City neighborhood try to survive the every-day trials and tribulations of life. But when a chance to escape the lower class life arises not all are quick to jump the gun.

Idea Summary: Even though life may be hard and look gloomy, an quick escape may prevent you from getting what you really wanted, as it most likely been in front of you the entire time.