Community theater can’t get much better than this. Lin Manuel-Miranda’s lyrics and music performed by some of the Bay Area’s most talented singers provided a spectacular show for patrons of all ages. It isn’t often that we get to experience a Tony Award winning musical performed with this level of expertise right here in our community. The Sunnyvale Community Theatre should be sold out for every performance. The show runs through September 29th with performances Thursday-Saturday at 8:00 PM and Sundays at 2:30 PM.
The musical “In the Heights” is well known. Set in Washington Heights, N. Y., it tells a combination of stories about the lives of the residents in this close-knit community. One overriding theme is the need for a better life with more money, possibly in a different place. But the real theme that underlies each of the stories is the love and support every resident in the community provides to the others. The main tale of the musical revolves around the owner of a bodega, Usnavi, who wants to sell the bodega and escape the Heights. Yet, he is an important member of the community, and his friends want him to stay. His feelings are conflicted. Can he leave the people who are so important to him? He is also in love with Vanessa, one of the workers in the beauty salon near his store, but fears that his love is unrequited. Vanessa is dreaming of a better life away from the Heights but has no financial ability to achieve that.
A second and very important plot in the musical tells the story of Nina, the one Heights resident to make it out by earning a scholarship to Stanford. Everyone in the community sees her as their star. We first see her as she has lost her scholarship and been forced to return to the Heights to face admitting her failure. A highlight of the entire show is Nina’s solo, “Breathe,” in which she expresses her embarrassment about letting everyone down, and her inability to face those who believed in her. Of course, this community, especially her parents, support her in every way, enveloping her in love and friendship.
This musical is beautiful because of the relationships between friends, family members, and lovers. We can relate to these heart-warming yet sometimes chaotic and hurtful relationships. The musical evokes a full range of emotions. At times there were tears in my eyes, but most of the time I felt a sense of joy and hope. This is a story of dreams and contentment in balance.
There are subplots within the plots, just as there should be in any close-knit community. A bodega, a car service and a beauty salon serve as the backdrop for the subplots that evolve. The matriarch figure for the entire community, Abuela Claudia, plays a role in everyone’s lives. The respect and love she receives from the community and how she treats them in return are feelings only possible in a place filled with love.
There were some stand-out performances in this musical, thankfully from young actors who will hopefully stay in the Bay Area and continue to grace us with their talent. I am going to include a few here so that when you see this show or another in which they are cast you will know the high caliber of talent you are going to enjoy.
Erika Cospin’s (Nina) solos gave me chills. Her vocal range as well as her ability to infuse the songs with emotion were outstanding. You could feel her angst over letting her community down, but the disappointment in letting herself down became even more apparent. Daniel Rios, cast as Nina’s father, had a voice that was obviously trained in classical music. I expect to see him in more operas and musicals in our area, and I wish he had had more solos in this one. The father/daughter drama playing out here through song was so real it was almost hard to watch. Fortunately, their love for each other prevailed. As did the opinions of Nina’s mother, Camila, played so believably by Evalina Maas-Espinoza. Sidney Matthew Roman, cast as Benny, Nina’s boyfriend, performed the role effortlessly and realistically. He had to manage his relationship with Nina as well as the one with her father, his boss.
Kamilah Cole (Vanessa) proved she is more than just a talented singer, though she certainly is that. She was given very intricate choreography, and she mastered that challenge as well. Ashton Prestosa, cast as Sonny, a worker is Usnavi’s bodega, also rose to the challenge of some very complex choreography. The entire cast entertained us with amazing and difficult dances. These two drew my attention every time they were on stage.
The two actors around which the main story unfolds portrayed their characters in a believable and relatable way. C. J. Molloy (Usnavi) and Gloria Garcia Stanley (Abuela Claudia) interacted just the way you would hope a child, now grown up, would interact with the woman who practically raised him. Their songs were filled with emotion, and the dialogue was serious and light in just the right balance. I won’t include a spoiler about how this plot ends but I will say it involves a lottery ticket, a sad death, some dreams that willingly get let go, and others that get fulfilled.
Finally, I want to give credit to a few people involved behind the scenes. A show like this requires so much work and talent behind the scenes. Thomas Times, the show’s director, has amazing skills and endless energy. Directing a show written by Lin Manuel-Miranda requires very special talent. Likewise, the choreographers, Kristen Soriano and Megan Spoelstra, had an enormous challenge, yet every scene was choreographed to tell the stories fully. The music and vocal director deserve a shout-out as well. They are, respectively, Tony Gaitan and Yaadi Erica Richardson.
The Sunnyvale Community Players perform at the Sunnyvale Community Center theatre located at 550 E. Remington Drive in Sunnyvale. The theatre is very comfortable, parking is more than ample, and it is easy to access from several expressways. The performance I attended was almost SRO, and I expect every performance will be that way. You can check for more information about the musical and how to get tickets at the website, sunnyvaleplayers.org. The playbill is available on the website, and it’s helpful to check that out before you go. I hope you enjoy this musical as much as I did.
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