As audience members enter the Sacramento Community Center Theatre, they are greeted by Anna Louizos’ imposing set. Two four-story walk-up apartment buildings with ground floor retail flank the George Washington Bridge. This is very apropos, since the setting of “In the Heights” is a major component of the story.

“In the Heights” is in Washington Heights, the far northern reaches of Manhattan. The neighborhood has been heavily Irish, Jewish and Greek over the years. By the end of the 20th century, Washington Heights was predominately Dominican, home to immigrants and children of immigrants. The last several years have seen a migration of Dominicans across the Harlem River into less-expensive sections of the Bronx.

While Washington Heights is still predominately Dominican, they have been joined by immigrants from throughout the Spanish-speaking Caribbean and Central America. The common tie that binds all the residents is the Spanish language.

The ground floor of the two apartment buildings is where most of the action emanates from. There is the dispatch office of a limo service owned by an immigrant Puerto Rican family whose daughter has just returned from her first year at Stanford.

There is the stoop to the apartment building inhabited by abuela (grandmother) to all on the block. She arrived in New York with her mother as a very young child from Cuba in the 1940s.

The bodega in the other building is operated by a young Dominican who inherited it on the untimely death of his parents. His cousin helps out.

The bodega shares the building with a Puerto Rican-owned unisex beauty salon. The salon is run by a wise and kindly owner and two assistants, one of whom is ditzy. The other is the beautiful object of the bodega owner’s affection. She is also working hard to get out of the neighborhood.

Various other characters wander in and out of the block. Being a musical, they are there to sing and dance with the principals.

The story revolves around the daily lives of those who work or live on the block. It is about the hard work necessary to make a living, raise a family and how individuals with different heritages and traditions can find common ground through a (mostly) common language – not to mention a common second language.

Joseph Morales portrays Usnavi, the bodega owner who ties much of the story together. His Usnavi is warm and loving. You can easily sense the shyness toward Vanessa from the salon and his excitement at learning of her interest in him.

His scenes with Abuela Claudia – the one who took him in and raised him after the death of his parents – are wonderful. And Usnavi’s solos are rap songs.

Elise Santora portrays Abuela Claudia. Her affection for the character is evident. She is a veteran of the original Broadway production as well as “Man of La Mancha,” “The Capeman” and “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.” Santora does a great job on the most operatic of the solos.

note: Arielle Jacobs was replaced by Genny Lis Padilla in this production

Danny Bolero and Natalie Toro are husband and wife Kevin and Camila who have built up a successful limo company over the years. Both are great actors with great voices and long experience in Broadway musicals.

Their only child is Nina, who has gone to Stanford on a scholarship.  Sadly she has decided to drop out.  Trying to bridge the gap between scholarship money and real cost by working two jobs has not given her enough time to keep up her studies.  She is portrayed by Genny Lis Padilla.

Padilla and Lexi Lawson who plays Vanessa the object of Usnavi's affection are the most beautiful singers in the production.  Fortunately they are featured a lot.  

This is not to slight the rest of the cast.  Nicholas Christopher (Benny, Nina's boy friend and her father's employee), Chris Chatman (Sonny, Usnavi's cousin), Jose-Luis Lopez (the misunderstood Graffiti Pete), Ana Noguira and April Ortiz (salon owner and employee) are really good actors with great voices.  

Even David Baida as the Priagua Guy wandering in and out selling soft drinks from his push cart has a couple of beautiful solos. 

The ensemble is a credit to several dance styles while adding an excellent chorus to the principals.

Andy Blankenbuehler won a Tony Award for Best Choreography.  It is so  much fun to watch.  He made great use of the multiple levels of the set. 

Music supervisor, arranger and orchestrator Alex LaCamorie also won a Tony Award for "In the Heights" as well as a Grammy Award for the cast album.

Justin Mendoza (musical director) is also a veteran of the original Broadway production.  He also worked as associate musical director for three years for "Beach Blanket Babylon."

Michael Keller (musical coordinator)  has also been musical coordinator on Broadway for " In the Heights," "Fela," "Memphis," "Next to Normal,  2009 "West Side Story" and six other major productions!

Tony Award winner Howell Binkley's lighting design goes from soft and sensual to fireworks (literally).  The lighting worked so well in conjunction with the set design.  

Thomas Kail's direction keeps the story in clear focus.  He has been with "In the Heights" since its' inception and won a Tony Award for best direction. 

All of this started with the original concept, music and lyrics of Lin-Manuel Miranda.  What started as a project in college went on to off-Broadway, then Broadway,touring and a Broadway revival.  Miranda has been greatly recognized for his production.  He won a Tony, Grammy and numerous other awards for "In the Heights."

Award winning writer Quiara Allegría Hudes created the book that tells the story of the neighborhood that Miranda grew up in.  She received a Tony nomination for "In the Heights."

“In the Heights” is truly a groundbreaking musical. It might be compared to another groundbreaking musical of more than 60 years ago: “West Side Story.” That play told the story of Puerto Rican immigrants in New York. It was groundbreaking in dance, music and looking at conflict from both sides. But it was about conflict, and was almost entirely in English.

“In the Heights” is much more about how people can get along and support each other. It is both spoken and sung in Spanish and English. The music goes from rap to classically musical to near-operatic. The dance covers break dancing to classic musical dance and ballet.

This is also the first major musical where the characters are hispanic and are played by hispanic actors. If not the only one, it is the only one to have achieved major critical and popular success.

“In the Heights” is a treat for the eyes, the ears and the heart.