‘In the Heights’ Hits Syracuse

It’s short, but it’s sure to be sweet–the national tour of “In the Heights” is coming to the OnCenter next week for three nights.

“In the Heights,” a musical written by Lin-Manuel Miranda, focuses on the Dominican-American community of the Washington Heights neighborhood in Manhattan. The show is a classic “finding your way, discovering who you are” story, but it has captivated audiences nationwide.

The show was a Tony favorite,  nominated for 13 awards and walked away with four for Best Musical, Best Original Score, Best Choreography and Best Orchestrations.

Despite several trips to New York before its January 2011 closing, and national tours passing through, I’ve never made it to see “In the Heights.” I haven’t heard a bad word about the show from friends and critics who have seen it (and usually there’s always the one to put a damper on a sea of shining reviews).

However, from what I’ve heard on the soundtrack, the music is unbelievable. It’s a mix of classic Broadway show-stopping numbers (“When You’re Home”) and big company openers (“In the Heights”), to songs with some Latin spice (“Piragua” and “Carnaval Del Barrio”) and soulful ballads (“Breathe”).

Oftentimes, national tours can skip over Syracuse and head to bigger nearby cities, like Albany or Rochester. When a national tour pays attention to our city, take notice. Even if it’s only for three nights, it’s better than being skipped. Hopefully “In the Heights” shows a new trend of national tours making their upstate pit stop in Syracuse.

-Diana Pearl