REVIEW: `Heights' ratches up liveliness

The George Washington Bridge still shimmers in the background of the tantalizingly atmospheric "In the Heights," the joyous, Latin-laced musical that has transferred from off-Broadway to Broadway with even more spice swirling through its sweet-tempered liveliness.

The show, which reopened Sunday at the Richard Rodgers Theatre, is about community, specifically the New York neighborhood of Washington Heights in the upper reaches of Manhattan that is home to a diverse collection of Hispanic immigrants from the Dominican Republic, Cuba, Puerto Rico and more.

This is slice-of-life theater, lovingly captured in an eclectic score by Lin-Manuel Miranda, who also serves as the show's narrator. Miranda also stars, portraying Usnavi, a sheepishly charming tour guide through this Latino 'hood.

If Quiara Alegria Hudes' tale of generational conflict, new love and efforts to snag a piece of the American dream seems scattered, you don't mind its lack of focus because the hardworking actors are so appealing. The genial performers deftly inhabit set designer Anna Louizos' richly detailed tenement and street-scene setting, which has been expanded for the more technically lavish Broadway production.

Much of that motion is supplied by Andy Blankenbuehler whose sexy, hip-swaying choreography showcases a cast that can dance as well as it sings — and that's saying something. Dance was an important part of the musical's off-Broadway incarnation and here it is even better — from the hip-hop style of Seth Stewart to the more sinuous gyrations of the lithe Karen Olivo who serves as the object of Usnavi's adoration.

Miranda's songs — which range from rap to salsa-flavored, "American Idol"-style power ballads to more traditional musical-theater numbers — propel the evening. His lyrics are direct and often witty, particularly in the rap numbers.

There are several standout singers. Besides the astonishing Olivo, they include Olga Merediz as the neighborhood's grandmotherly matriarch whose lottery winnings turn into a major plot point. And there is delightful comic support from the brassy Andrea Burns (another superb vocalist), whose beauty parlor is threatened by gentrification.

The show's more soap-opera side features the neighborhood's golden girl, Nina (played by Mandy Gonzalez) who went away to a prestigious university and now wants to quit. It's something her parents (Carlos Gomez and Priscilla Lopez) don't want to happen. They are even ready to sacrifice their gypsy cab company to keep her in school. And then there's Nina's romance with one of their employees (Christopher Jackson), who's not Latino.

These scenes feel a bit awkward but director Thomas Kail doesn't allow the melodramatics to overwhelm the show. Miranda's music and Blankenbuehler's dances are never offstage for too long. Taken together with that talented cast, they make "In the Heights" a destination well-worth traveling to.