Theater & Dance


Edited by Erin Kuschner timeout.com/austin/theater @erinito


Peak performance


Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda’s first hit New York musical bows in Austin. By Andrew Friedenthal


BEFORE HIS SMASH sensation Hamilton, writer and composer Lin-Manuel Miranda invigorated Broadway with his first big musical, the Tony Award–winning In the Heights. By mixing hip-hop, contemporary R&B and Latin music, Miranda created a new sound that pushed the limits of what audiences had come to accept on the Broadway stage, telling the story of a tight-knit upper Manhattan neighborhood dealing with unexpected changes and burgeoning romances during a summer heat wave. With the Hamilton national


tour coming to Austin’s Bass Concert Hall during the 2018–19 season, ZACH Theatre felt like it was time for a Miranda teaser, in the form of a local production of In the Heights (opening on May 31). And it’s bringing in a big gun to make it happen: Michael Balderrama, a cast member from the show’s original Off Broadway/ Broadway


Time Out Austin May 11–August 16, 2017


runs and the resident director and choreographer of its national tour. “I’ve [staged] several


productions of [the musical] in its original form,” says Balderrama, adding that this version will actually be staged on the original tour set. “What we’re going to have time to really reinvestigate is the movements and some of the scene work.” Balderrama hopes to


infuse the show with his own creative vision by tweaking choreography and character expressions. However, he intends to still “hold very closely to the true heart of the show,” focusing on its theme of families and communities impacted by the growth and evolution of individuals. Balderrama sees this as


the perfect time to bring the production to Austin, given Hamilton’s cultural prominence. “In the Heights is really the vehicle that


“The success of Hamilton has now set one knee down and allowed In the Heights to step onto its shoulders.”


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From left: Karen Olivo and Lin-Manuel Miranda in the New York production of In the Heights


opened the doors for [Miranda] to be able to create Hamilton, and the success of Hamilton has now set one knee down and allowed In the Heights to step onto its shoulders and get another opportunity to be put in the spotlight.” à ZACH Theatre, 202 S Lamar Blvd (512- 476-0541, zachtheatre.org). May 31–July 2: Wed–Sat 7:30pm, Sun 2:30pm. $25–$89.


PHOTOGRAPHS: CHRISTENSEN/AP/REX/SHUTTERSTOCK


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