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FROM THE SERIES “ON THE OTHER HAND” BY ANTONIA WRIGHT |
In Our Hood
In The Heights Brings Home a Local Talent
In a break from the established classics that often visit South Florida, the Broadway Across America tour is bringing “In The Heights” to the Arsht Center, running through March 28.
The musical, with music and lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda and based on the book by Quiara Alegría Hudes, explores three days in the lives of locals in the Dominican-American neighborhood of Washington Heights.
The score features hip-hop, salsa, soul music and more. The 2008 Broadway production was nominated for 13 Tony Awards, and won the award for Best Musical. We recently caught up with Miami native and ensemble member Natalie Caruncho to learn more about the show and her favorite local haunts.
What’s your favorite style of dance in the show?
The show is a lot of hip-hop and every kind of Latin dance you can imagine. It’s my ideal show because everything is my favorite way to dance. We’re moving the entire time. So to answer your question, all of it.
When did you know you wanted to perform?
My mom is a dancer. When I was little she used to pick me up from school and she’d take me to her studio, and I wanted to grow up and wear a bun and a tutu for as long as I could remember. So I danced and did ballet companies and it was going to be my life. But when I was in high school at Gulliver Prep a teacher pulled me aside and told me ‘you don’t know this yet, but you’re an actor.’ And I think that really resonated with me even though I didn’t really get it at the time, then I went to college and realized he was right.
This tour started in October 2009. What’s your favorite thing about being on the road?
The people. The show calls for a census community and a lot of love, and that’s what we have backstage. We spend every waking moment with each other, and we even spend off days together. It keeps us grounded.
What’s the worst thing about being on the road?
All the hotels start to look the same. Some are really great, but you kind of get homesick. For this tour visit I’m staying at home in South Miami and commuting to Fort Lauderdale for the show. The days will be free for the most part, and I don’t have to be at the theater until 7:30 most nights.
What do you miss the most about Miami?
I moved to New York after college at Florida State, so I miss being around family. And the beach. Coney Island just isn’t the same.
Your favorite local theater is?
I went to see touring musicals at the Gleason Miami Beach when I was young, and I always loved going to Actors’ Playhouse.
Your favorite local restaurant is?
My grandma’s kitchen, because that’s what I’m most looking forward to when I get home. I can’t wait for some home-cooked Cuban food.
Your favorite thing to do at night is?
Lincoln Road. I could just walk up and down Lincoln road for hours. Go to the Van Dyke and listen to jazz. Pick a restaurant. Go to a movie. Anything.
“In The Heights” plays at the BrowardCenter through March 28. Performances are Tuesday through Saturday at 8 p.m., and Sunday at 7:30 p.m., with matinees Saturday and Sunday at 2 p.m. Tickets are $23 to $72 and are available at browardcenter.org or by calling 954-462-0222.
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“Miss Saigon” won 11 Tony Awards when it debuted on Broadway in 1991, which was two years after it premiered on London’s West End. The show, about an American GI (Christopher de Prophetis) who falls in love with a Vietnamese girl and loses her after the fall of Saigon in 1975, is now at Actors’ Playhouse in Coral Gables. It’s an inspired, but not great, production.
Full disclosure: I had never seen the show before, and during opening weekend the lead actress (EJ Zimmerman) was out due to a cold. All things considered, understudy Olivia Ogama did the best that one could imagine with zero rehearsal time for a role that is difficult to perform.
There are a number of catchy, enjoyable songs throughout (particularly by The Engineer, played by Herman Sebek), and director David Arisco has staged the show nicely, helped in large part by Sean McClelland’s impressive production design.
Structurally, however, Chris’ marriage in America after the war doesn’t work for what we’re supposed to believe, and the fact that we don’t see the fall of Saigon until late in Act Two is mind-boggling. The devastating split of the two lovers should come at the end of Act One, keeping the plot chronological and allowing the story and suspense to build methodically.
Obviously, seeing “Miss Saigon” with an unprepared understudy in the lead role is no way to review a show. But this production has its merits and does a lot correct, even if it’s far from perfect.
“Miss Saigon” plays through April 4 at Actors’ Playhouse, 280 Miracle Mile, in Coral Gables. Tickets are $15 to $50. For more info, go to actorsplayhouse.org or call 305-444-9293. — Dan Hudak
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