Review - In The Heights (King's Cross Theatre)

October is officially upon us, but while the weather gets colder and London begins to look more and more bleak and autumnal, the King's Cross Theatre is still sizzling with summer heat thanks to In The Heights! Lin-Manuel Miranda's creation has just celebrated 1 year at the King's Cross Theatre, and while the show may have experienced some cast changes since it first opened in October last year, the show is still as fresh, vibrant and full of talent as ever.

Photo credit - Johan Persson

Set in Manhattan's Washington Heights during a summer heatwave, In The Heights follows the lives of the inhabitants as they struggle with their own individual plights, as well as the larger issue of gentrification in the area. While there is an overarching storyline, the plot is a combination of several different characters' stories, and as such the audience is inevitably able to identify with at least one of the characters' predicaments. 

Several of the original cast members remain with the show, the most notable of which being Sam Mackay who plays the lead role of Usnavi. Mackay has received rave reviews for this role, and it's easy to see why. He exudes a likable dorkiness which really endears him to the audience. Add to this his mastery of rap and easy charisma and he is the perfect man to lead the cast of In The Heights. 

Despite Usnavi being the central character, the plot really revolves around the community of the Barrio, with Usnavi himself pointing out that his role is to 'illuminate the stories of the people in the street'. In fact, the show is very much an ensemble piece, with a cast which is faultless without exception. Some notable new additions to the cast include, Sarah Naudi as Vanessa, Juliet Gough as Camilla, and Arun Blair-Mangat as Benny. Blair-Mangat brings a likable swagger to the role and has beautiful chemistry with Gabriela Garcia's Nina. 

Photo credit - Johan Persson

Central to this production of In The Heights is Drew McOnie's award winning choreography, which perfectly compliments the pulse pounding Latin and hip hop inspired score. Almost every song is accompanied by heart stopping choreography, but it never distracts from what is being sung, nor does it look overcrowded or cramped on the King's Cross Theatre's traverse stage. Instead it draws attention to the theme of community which is central to the story. 

However, no doubt for many audience members the biggest draw of In The Heights is the music. With music and lyrics by man of the moment Lin-Manuel Miranda, those biding their time until Hamilton arrives in London next year will no doubt enjoy the clever, witty and sometimes gut wrenchingly ratable lyrics of In The Heights. 

From the opening number onwards, every song grabs the audience and forces them to sit up and listen. There is a delightful urgency to many numbers which echoes the bustling and relentless community within the Barrio, and nowhere is this more relevant that in 'Blackout', the act 1 finale. It's a showstopping number all round, with ingenious lighting design and sizzling vocals, all of which emphasise the amazingly affecting melodies and motifs of Miranda's music. Contrastingly, more simplistic solos such as Nina's first song 'Breath' still elicit an incredible reaction, thanks in no small part to actress Gabriela Garcia whose spine tingling vocals capture the essence of the song perfectly. Unfortunately, occasionally this level of emotion is not reflected in the book, which does seem overstuffed and over-sentimental at times. However, this is a minuscule nitpick in such a multifaceted show!

All in all In The Heights is still one of the most exciting and unmissable musicals in London. Be sure to catch it before it closes on January 8th 2017.

In The Heights has extended its London run at the King’s Cross Theatre for the third and final time and is now booking until Sunday 8 January 2017. Tickets start at £22.50, with a selection of best seats available for Under 25s at a special rate of £15 at every performance. Visit www.intheheightslondon.com for more information and to purchase tickets.

Interview: Arun Blair-Mangat (In The Heights)

Having appeared in the original London cast of Kinky Boots (playing one of the Angels and covering the role of Lola), Arun Blair-Mangat talks about joining the cast of In The Heights and playing the role of Benny. 

You joined the cast a few weeks ago, what's it been like performing in the show so far?

They had a cast change at the beginning of September. I left Kinky Boots and joined this company. It's been a lot of fun. A very quick turn around, but I think it's better that way. You get to know the show really quickly and you can fill in the details afterwards.

Benny is such a great character. How are you enjoying playing the role? 

I love Benny's journey! I love being able to fall in love every night. It's a really great role to play actually.

In The Heights is full of amazing music. What's your favourite song in the show? 

Ooh, the music's so good! It's so rich and there are some beautiful motifs throughout the piece. I think my favourite song is actually a song that Gabby (Gabriela Garcia) sings as Nina. It's the second song in the show and it's called Breathe. It's so well written and she performs it incredibly. It's quite an intense song to happen so early in the show, but it instantly connects you and you understand her journey, and where she's going to go. It really establishes quite a lot.

The show has been compared to Rent on several occasions...

Yeah definitely. I think that the creators were very much inspired by it. There are definitely a couple of parallels.

Usnavi could be considered the main character but all of the characters have their own individual journeys...

Yes, there's lots of different arcs, all interlinking, but I think the main character is probably the Barrio. It's very much about the people and the community of Washington Heights. They're all interconnected and that's what makes the show seem more real, I think.

Many thanks to Arun for answering these questions. Be sure to catch him as Benny in In The Heights at the King's Cross Theatre!

In The Heights has extended its London run at the King’s Cross Theatre for the third and final time and is now booking until Sunday 8 January 2017. Tickets start at £22.50, with a selection of best seats available for Under 25s at a special rate of £15 at every performance. Visit www.intheheightslondon.com for more information and to purchase tickets.

In The Heights Celebrates 1 Year at the King's Cross Theatre

On Friday 30th September 2016 In The Heights celebrated its first birthday at London's Kings Cross Theatre. Lin Manuel Miranda's Tony and Olivier Award winning show opened at the Southwark Playhouse in 2014, where it received rave reviews. As a result it transferred to the King's Cross Theatre in October 2015, and has been running there ever since. At the 2016 Olivier Awards In The Heights was nominated for 4 Olivier Awards and won 3 for Outstanding Achievement in Music, Best Choreographer and Best Supporting Actor for David Bedella.

Photo credit - Johan Persson

The show is a personal favourite of mine, and so I was excited to be invited to its 1st birthday party. The evening began with drinks in the King's Cross Theatre foyer. It was nice to mingle with other theatre bloggers and reviewers, and also just enjoy the vibe of the room. 

The foyer is decorated with New York inspired signage, which is taken down and replaced with archaic Victorian signage before every performance of The Railway Children, which runs in rep with In The Heights. This attention to detail is important, as it means that the audience is already immersed in the atmosphere of Washington Heights before the show even begins. 

Having chatted to the other guests for a while it was time to move into the auditorium, where we were greeted by cast members Raffaella Covino and Johnny Bishop. The pair informed us all that we would be learning some of choreographer Drew McOnie's choreography, specifically a move called 'The Arm Breaker' which features in the show during the club scene at the end of act 1. As someone with a notorious pair of left feet, I was a little bit apprehensive to say the least. However, we were taken through the choreography step by step and shockingly Emily (my sister, dance partner and plus one for the evening) and I actually nailed the steps in the end. So much so that Raffaella gave us some advice on how to finesse our performance! Once everyone was fairly confident in what we were doing, some more of the show's cast members joined us on stage, and we all performed the dance together! Learning a little bit of salsa dance was fantastic fun, and getting to dance with some of the amazingly talented cast was brilliant too. We all tried our best but they made every step look effortless!

Once we'd all caught our breath we made our way back into the foyer to enjoy a buffet of lovely food (there was hummus, there were tortilla chips... I was in heaven!) and have a little chat to some of the cast members. I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to interview Arun Blair-Mangat, who recently joined the show as Benny, as well as Sarah Naudi who is currently playing Vanessa, but had been with the production since its Southwark run, where she played Carla.

Finally the rest of the audience began to arrive and we took our seats. The theatre was buzzing with excitement. In The Heights is a show with a very dedicated and vocal fanbase, and it was clear that many of those fans were in the audience, which only made the atmosphere of the show more enjoyable. In The Heights is a story about family, community, hopes and dreams, themes which resonate universally. Perhaps that is why it is received so positively night after night!

In The Heights has extended its London run at the King’s Cross Theatre for the third and final time and is now booking until Sunday 8 January 2017. Tickets start at £22.50, with a selection of best seats available for Under 25s at a special rate of £15 at every performance. Visit www.intheheightslondon.com for more information and to purchase tickets.