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Latin flavor spices up 'In the Heights' musical
By GUY D’ASTOLFO
YOUNGSTOWN
“In the Heights,” the Tony Award-winning musical with a lively Latin flavor, will get its Mahoning Valley premiere this weekend thanks to Top Hat Productions.
Top Hat is actually one of the first community theater groups anywhere to stage the show.
“The rights [to perform the show] were just released, and we’re among the first in Ohio to get them,” said Brian Palumbo, director of the theater company. “We applied early and got put on the fast track.”
Palumbo saw a touring production of “Heights” a few years ago in Pittsburgh and has kept his eye on it ever since.
“Our theater has always prided itself on staying on the edge and doing different shows,” said Palumbo. “We try to hit an audience that other theaters aren’t hitting. We also try to make sure every show has a message and will bring in new people who aren’t already into community theater.”
With “In the Heights,” Top Hat is building a theatrical bridge to the Hispanic community. Palumbo said many members of the Hispanic community auditioned.
Most notable is Jesus Torruella, who landed the lead role of Usnavi. It’s a demanding role, with a voluminous amount of lines that have to be delivered in a rap style.
Torruella has no musical- theater experience, but his background as a local rapper more than qualified him, and Palumbo is quite pleased.
“It’s the first time he’s been in a musical, but there has been very little to do to teach him,” said Palumbo. “He didn’t know much about stage direction, but he’s fallen right into it. This is the first time he’ll be rapping in English. It’s been an interesting ride for him, and he has been amazing. He has been off-script for two weeks, and he has so many lines.”
Torruella raps with clear enunciation, a necessity for the production. “Every word is understood,” said Palumbo. “He makes it available to all audiences. It’s almost poetic.
Palumbo said the musical crosses many barriers.
“Even if you are not into rap, you will like it,” he said. “It’s very easy and melodic. It uses words in Spanish and it’s amazing how [the audience can] follow them. Someone else will come in right after and say it in English. Or the younger ones will say it in Spanglish, and then the older ones in true Spanish.”
The plot of “In the Heights” revolves around Usnavi, who runs a neighborhood bodega, and his abuela, or grandmother, who raised him.
“It’s about that relationship, and coming to America, and what she is passing down to the next generation,” said Palumbo. “It’s very much a family show. It’s about family and traditions, and how everyone has a hand in everyone’s life in the neighborhood. It’s also about how much of ourselves we take with us when we move on, and where home really is.”
Rounding out the cast are Irish McConnell, Samantha Daisher, Darrick Alvarez, Michael Cotton, Santa Cruz, Julie DeSalvo, Rachel Franek, Angel Febres, Nikita Jones, Mary Catherine McMahan, Brian Palumbo, Julie Palumbo, Jesus Rosa, Annalese Samuel, Michaela Samuel, Isaiah Shelton, Brittany Storey and Anthony Villa.