You brought New York’s Washington Heights to the Sydney Opera House for 4 weeks, and now it’s almost your finale! We need to thank you for warming us up for our Hamilton run with another of Lin-Manual Miranda’s hit musicals – his first in fact – written when he was still in college. You promised to share with us the hopes and dreams of a Latin American community, swelting in a heatwave, and their discovery of a winning lottery ticket that could change everything…
But in fact, you weren’t really a tale of rags to riches (which is just as well – you know your $96,000 wouldn’t cover even half a home deposit in Sydney, right?) In what has emerged as Miranda’s trademark ‘sneeze and you’ll miss it’ plot development, you gave us fast paced lyrics that were rich and layered. We may not have understood every lyric and sub-plot the first time around, especially after a caipirinha or two, but that was ok because you were more about the vibe. Contemporary, hip hop, salsa, Latin. Immigration and the desperate uphill battle, but set against a vibrant community, passionate about dance and culture.
Given your mostly-static set design, we relished the colour and movement of your big numbers like ‘Blackout’, that filled the stage with life. We desperately wanted to join you in salsa at ‘The Club’ – or at the very least, we wanted to be sipping Café Con Leche in Cuba (after all, most Sydney-siders don’t have naturally expressive hips).
Your neighbourhood characters, played by a majority Latinx cast – many of whom were reprising their roles from previous productions – took us on a journey. Usnavi’s (Ryan Gonzalez) yearning for the homeland, Kevin’s (Alexander Palacio) willingness to do anything to give his daughter a better life, and Nina’s (Olivia Dacal) struggle to live up to everyone’s expectations.
However, it was through unexpected pockets of your cast that you won us over. Abuela Claudia (Lena Cruz) nearly knocked us off our seats with the opening notes of ‘Paciencia Y Fe’. Sunny (Steve Costi) and Daniela (Janet Dacal) were the charismatic sidekicks that left us wanting more. And while some of us were quietly googling ‘piragua’, we all would have bought anything Richard Valdez was selling.
While your romantic pairings were predictable from stage entrance, we cheered nonetheless when Benny (Barry Conrad) got the girl, and when Vanessa (Olivia Vasquez) finally realised why she was getting all those coffees for free. If ever there was a musical that was ripe for a sequel though, it has to be you. Did Nina go on to change the world? Did Usnavi and Vanessa last the distance? (He seemed firmly friend-zoned for most of the show, just sayin’). And other than paying for Graffiti Pete (Jervis Livelo) to make a mural, did the lottery win change their lives?
Perhaps it doesn’t really matter, because you were less about a story, and more about a celebration. Romantic love, yes, but mostly a celebration of love for family, friends, and community. And for all the ‘abuelas’ out there, who are the glue at the centre of everything. Thanks for reminding us of what really matters.
With love,
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