{"id":88651,"date":"2026-04-16T10:30:58","date_gmt":"2026-04-16T17:30:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/?p=88651"},"modified":"2026-04-16T12:45:46","modified_gmt":"2026-04-16T19:45:46","slug":"theater-news-behind-the-scenes-of-musical-theatre-wests-in-the-heights","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/eat-see-do-2\/do\/theater-news-behind-the-scenes-of-musical-theatre-wests-in-the-heights","title":{"rendered":"Theater News: Behind the scenes of Musical Theatre West\u2019s \u2018In the Heights\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Welcome to Theater News, a regular column by longtime reviewer Anita W. Harris. Look for it most Thursdays. Or sign up<\/a> for our Eat. See. Do. newsletter to get it in your inbox.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before his hugely successful musical \u201cHamilton,\u201d Lin-Manuel Miranda wrote \u201cIn the Heights\u201d \u2014 about a vibrant, close-knit New York immigrant community filled with songs and dreams, but also secrets. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Musical Theatre West is currently staging the Tony Award-winning musical through April 26 at the Carpenter Performing Arts Center on the Cal State Long Beach campus. A producer and two main cast members shared their insights about what the musical means to them and to Long Beach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bren Thor, associate producer of the show, notes the parallels between the setting of \u201cIn the Heights\u201d and Long Beach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLong Beach, much like Washington Heights where the show is set, has one of the most diverse populations in the United States,\u201d Thor said. \u201cImmigrant families, multigenerational households, tight neighborhood identity \u2014 that’s exactly what the show is about.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Rub\u00e9n J. Carbajal (center) as Usnavi in Musical Theatre West’s current production of “In the Heights.” Photo courtesy of the theater.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Rub\u00e9n J. Carbajal, who plays lead Usnavi \u2014 and who performed in \u201cHamilton\u201d on Broadway and in Puerto Rico alongside Miranda himself \u2014 also says \u201cIn the Heights\u201d appeals because of its multigenerational Latino story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cUsnavi is a man of the people \u2014 he\u2019s savvy, and he gets along with everyone,\u201d Carbajal says of his character, whose parents emigrated from the Dominican Republic. \u201cDiving deeper, we see that his upbringing forced him to assimilate quickly, to learn the ways of his father\u2019s bodega as well as the streets, in order to stay safe and help his business.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But though people look to Usnavi for help and trust his smarts, he is vulnerable, too, Carbajal said, especially around love interest Vanessa, played here by Angelica Lozada Ramos. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n Link<\/a>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHe tries to play it cool and joke around, and sometimes fumbles his words and whatnot, but it\u2019s from a place of love and true feelings for his dream girl,\u201d Carbajal said, adding that Usnavi\u2019s friendship-turned-romance with Vanessa reminds him of his own relationship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Veronica Vazquez Jackson, who plays dramatic storeowner Daniela, says that as a second-generation Puerto Rican, the musical is the story of her life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy grandparents came here for a better life for themselves and their families,\u201d Jackson said. \u201cWhat they found was a strong community of Latinos who looked out for each other, took care of each other. It’s exactly what you see in this show. This show represents home for me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a recording artist, actor, dancer and self-described \u201cNuyorican,\u201d Jackson finds it easy to step into her flamboyant character, saying, \u201cI have lots of very dramatic and funny family members to draw from!\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Veronica Vazquez Jackson (center) as Daniela in Musical Theatre West’s current production of “In the Heights.” Photo courtesy of the theater.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

But her entrepreneur character is also smart and sensitive, Jackson said, which she masks with her toughness, wanting to teach the younger generation to follow in her footsteps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDaniela is a leader. She is everyone’s tia or auntie,\u201d Jackson said. \u201cShe cares deeply about her extended familia and goes the extra mile to help the people she cares about. She is a staple in her community and knows everyone in the barrio <\/em>\u2014 and all of their secrets!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thor said casting Carbajal and Jackson, among others with Puerto Rican and other Latino connections, is part of Musical Theatre West\u2019s effort to tell the culturally specific story as authentically as possible. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis is a crazy-talented cast,\u201d Thor said. \u201cAnd they are pulling from their own experiences and laying it all out for our audiences.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition to regular patrons, Musical Theatre West is enabling 5,000 Long Beach students to see the show for free, Thor said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey are going to see themselves and their stories represented on that stage,\u201d he said. \u201cAn experience like that can give you meaning, and make you feel like you have a real place in the world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jackson said the show is especially relevant now given current federal immigration policy determining \u201cwho belongs and who doesn’t.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt’s so important to uplift our community in these times and I feel that \u2018In the Heights\u2019 does just that,\u201d she said. \u201cIt celebrates all of the Latino diaspora \u2014 all of the countries and islands we come from. We all<\/em> belong here. We have all<\/em> contributed to the success of this country.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Carbajal concurred, saying one of the major themes of the show is hope, which he feels is being stripped away from a new generation of immigrants looking to find where they belong. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt feels like a stark difference today,\u201d he said. \u201cWe need more good news and success stories of immigrants and what it took for them to not only get here, but get here and thrive, contribute to community and the economy, and uplift our society as a whole.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thor said local audiences have left the show feeling energized since it opened last weekend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt tells stories we don\u2019t see enough of, that apply directly to our community,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd it does it with joy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Musical Theatre West\u2019s \u201cIn the Heights\u201d continues through April 26 at the Carpenter Performing Arts Center, 6200 E. Atherton St., with shows Thursday, April 16 at 7 p.m., Fridays at 7 p.m., Saturdays at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m., and Sundays at 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. Tickets start at $25, with $15 student rush tickets one hour prior to each show. For tickets and information, call the box office at 562-856-1999 or visit <\/em>Musical.org<\/em><\/a>. Run time is 2 hours and 30 minutes, including intermission.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cIt’s so important to uplift our community in these times and I feel that \u2018In the Heights\u2019 does just that,\u201d Veronica Vazquez Jackson, who plays Daniela, told us.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":207,"featured_media":88654,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"newspack_sponsor_sponsorship_scope":"","newspack_sponsor_native_byline_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_native_category_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_style":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_placement":"inherit","inline_featured_image":false,"newspack_ads_suppress_ads":false,"newspack_popups_has_disabled_popups":"","_EventAllDay":false,"_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":false,"_EventShowMapLink":false,"_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":[],"_EventVenueID":[],"_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":false,"_VenueShowMapLink":false,"_":"","_author_alias":"","cap-aim":"","cap-description":"","cap-display_name":"","cap-first_name":"","cap-jabber":"","cap-last_name":"","cap-linked_account":"","cap-newspack_employer":"","cap-newspack_job_title":"","cap-newspack_phone_number":"","cap-newspack_role":"","cap-user_email":"","cap-user_login":"","cap-website":"","cap-yahooim":"","newspack_article_summary":"","newspack_email_html":"","newspack_email_type":"","newspack_featured_image_position":"","newspack_hide_page_title":"","newspack_hide_updated_date":false,"newspack_post_subtitle":"","newspack_show_share_buttons":"","newspack_sponsor_byline_prefix":"","newspack_sponsor_disclaimer_override":"","newspack_sponsor_flag_override":"","newspack_sponsor_only_direct":"","newspack_sponsor_url":"","newspack_article_summary_title":"Overview:","newspack_show_updated_date":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[32367],"tags":[],"newspack_spnsrs_tax":[],"coauthors":[32310],"class_list":["post-88651","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-do","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/88651","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/207"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=88651"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/88651\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":88661,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/88651\/revisions\/88661"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/88654"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=88651"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=88651"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=88651"},{"taxonomy":"newspack_spnsrs_tax","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newspack_spnsrs_tax?post=88651"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=88651"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}