“In the Heights” is pure joy to watch. In fact, the show’s warmth flows in every direction , radiating with love of family, love of one’s culture, love of the energy of New York City and most of all, a love of home. The nine-piece band captures the Latin flavor of the score with precision and passion. The uniformly strong cast is radiant — just watch the ensemble pull off Kim Ball’s urban and Caribbean-inspired choreography. And the intimate layout of the Shakes’ Margeson Theater puts the audience right in these characters’ neighborhood, creating a far more personal experience than the last touring version of the show. Director Nick DeGruccio expertly balances big and exuberant production nu
Despite the cool air inside Orlando Shakes, the heat of Washington Heights poured throughout the sold-out theatre on opening night of "In the Heights". The season opener for the newly rebranded theatre's 30th anniversary, packed an abundance of soaring melodies, energetic dance numbers and sweeping emotion into the two hour production. Orlando Shakes' take on the renowned, Tony-award winning Broadway production was beautifully displayed on-stage.
ARTS & CULTURE ORLANDO WEEKLY Two Tony-winning hits from the last decade are currently enjoying exceptional local revivals, demonstrating once again that Orlando's theaters can be just as great as any on the Great White Way. When I first saw In the Heights back in 2010, I wrote that the Broadway tour of Lin-Manuel Miranda's breakout hit left me emotionally frio, with its stilted direction and predictable plot. Similarly, I was among those initially skeptical of Orlando Shakes' foray into presenting musical theater, especially after their disappointing Les Miz. Now, after crying uncontrollably through the second act of their incandescent production of In the Heights (running through Oct. 7),
Director Nick DeGruccio is wise to how audiences will interpret the show today, and presents a masterclass that could be called How to Make a Classic Production More Accessible to Modern Audiences. His progressive cast is among the most delightfully diverse group of players I've ever seen on stage in Houston. His intentional choices, such as replacing the typically male role of commanding boss Big Jule with Sofiya Cheyenne as Big Julie is a noticed and an appreciated attempt to balance the systemic male gaze written into the script. His Latin-inspired twist, and casting of Hispanics in nearly every major role, is representative of our fast-growing population. And in doing so, DeGruccio helme
Out Director Puts Some Latin Twists on a Classic at TUTS Nick DeGruccio Nick DeGruccio previews ‘Guys and Dolls.’ By Don Maines The Hot Box nightclub is muy caliente in the latest Theatre Under The Stars production of Guys and Dolls. That’s because the show is Latin-inspired, says director Nick DeGruccio, who previously ignited Lin-Manuel Miranda’s breakthrough musical In the Heights with a hip-hop/salsa beat in the 2016–17 season of TUTS. Miranda, of Hamilton fame, won his first Tony Award for scoring In the Heights, a lavish valentine to his mostly Hispanic Washington Heights neighborhood in the Big Apple. The box-office success of In the Heights in Houston led the openly gay DeGruccio to
