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Culture Theatre

In The Heights

IN THE HEIGHTS by Lin-Manuel Miranda and Quiara Alegria Hudes (Work Light Productions/DanCap). At the Toronto Centre for the Arts (5040 Yonge). Runs to February 19. $51-$165. 416-644-3665. See listing. Rating: NNN

This touring production of In The Heights doesn’t quite reach great heights, but it does showcase the huge talent of composer/lyricist Lin-Manuel Miranda.

The Tony Award-winning musical draws on Miranda’s upbringing in the Washington Heights neighbourhood of Manhattan, and every lyric and note sizzles with spicy authenticity, although the effect is watered down by Quiara Alegria Hudes’s sitcommy book.

Over three scorching summer days, bodega owner Usnavi (Jeffrey Nunez, filling in for Perry Young on opening night) tries to ward off a graffiti artist (Roddy Kennedy), deal with his ailing Abuela Claudia (Christina Aranda), who raised him and his cousin Sonny (Robert Ramirez) after his parents died, and woo Vanessa (Presilah Nunez), who works in the salon shop next door.

There’s also drama going on at nearby car and limo business Rosario’s, where owners Kevin (Benjamin Perez) and Camila (Celina Clarich Polanco) are coping with some news from their daughter Nina (Virginia Cavaliere), the neighbourhood’s first college-educated kid who’s temporarily back from Stanford.

Miranda’s songs – an energetic mix of rap and Latino pop – capture these ordinary characters’ hopes and dreams, with lyrics that are catchy and clever and rhythms that will have you swaying your hips in your seat. Usnavi, a part the composer played off- and then on-Broadway, gets the choicest raps, which reference everything from Cole Porter to The Wizard Of Oz.

Alex Lacamoire and Bill Sherman’s orchestrations and Andy Blankenbuehler’s choreography give the tunes the toe-tapping kick they need, and Anna Louizos’s gritty set makes it feel like you’ve just stopped off the A Train at 168th.

The show could be trimmed a few songs feel repetitive and do little to further story or add to character. The show nudges awfully close to sentimentality a few times, and the material feels overly sanitized.

The cast, while appropriately young, is uneven, and a few performers are stretched vocally. (This is a non-Equity production, and many of the singers lack experience.) One of the best voices comes from salon owner Daniela (Tauren Hagans), who belts out her numbers with passion.

But even with these shortcomings, Miranda’s material aims high – and almost gets there.

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