‘In The Heights’ extends Sydney season
With the first two weeks already sold out, award-winning production company Blue Saint Productions has announced an additional week of performances for the upcoming season of In The Heights. The Sydney season of the Tony Award-winning musical at the Hayes Theatre Co has now been extended until April 15, with an additional matinee now added on Wednesday, March 28. Conceived by Lin-Manuel Miranda, the composer behind the Hamilton phenomenon, this brand new, authentic production is running from March 16 and tickets are selling extremely quickly.
In The Heights is the winner of the 2008 Tony Awards for Best Musical, Best Score, Best Choreography and Best Orchestrations.
Playing the lead role of Usnavi De La Vega (played by Lin Manuel Miranda in the Broadway production) is Ryan Gonzalez. Fresh from treading the boards in Kinky Boots, Gonzalez is also known at Hayes Theatre Co for his role in Violet and most recently in the role of Freddy in the current Hayes Theatre Co production of The View Upstairs.
Returning to the musical theatre stage to play the role of Benny will be Tim Omaji. Initially rising to fame as “Timomatic” in So You Think You Can Dance Australia in 2009, Omaji cemented his place as a household name as a top three finalist in Australia’s Got Talent in 2011. He played the lead role in the stage musical Fame and has since become a successful recording artist and songwriter with a string of hits, including the 4-x Platinum, ARIA-nominated single “Set It Off”. Just recently Omaji released his new EP “Stamina”.
Fresh from the hit musical The Bodyguard, Olivia Vasquez plays Vanessa, Usnavi’s beautiful love interest, while in the role of Usnavi’s cousin, Sonny de la Vega, is recent VCA graduate Marty Alix. The role of college drop-out Nina Rosario who becomes romantically entwined with Benny is Luisa Scrofani (Violet, Spring Awakening).
Playing “Abuela” Claudia, the matriarch of the Barrio, is musical theatre veteran Margi De Ferranti (Les Miserables, Mamma Mia). The feisty and funny roles of Daniela and Carla will be played by Monique Montez (We Will Rock You, The REAL Thing) and Libby Asciak (Heathers, The Secret Daughter). Making her Hayes Theatre Co debut as Nina’s strong-willed mother, Camila, is acclaimed actress Ana Maria Belo (Tribe, HAIR) alongside Nina’s over protective father, Kevin, played by distinguished Colombian actor Alexander Palacio.
Choreographer Stephen Tannos (So You Think You Can Dance, Fame) takes on the role of Graffiti Pete with the Piragua Guy being played by acclaimed Latino musician Richard Valdez.
Completing the cast in the ensemble are performers Will Centurion (Aladdin, King Kong), Michelle Rozario (The King and I) and Samantha Bruzzese (The Bodyguard).
In The Heights tells the story of a vibrant Cuban, Dominican and Puerto Rican community in New York City’s Washington Heights neighbourhood—a place where the coffee from the bodega is light and sweet, the windows are always open, and the streets explode with the songs and rhythms of three generations. It’s a community on the brink of change, full of hopes, dreams and pressures, where the biggest struggle can be deciding which traditions you take with you, and which ones you leave behind.
Produced by an award-winning team, In the Heights boasts a stellar Australian creative team with Director Luke Joslin (Songs for a New World), musical direction by dual Sydney Theatre Award-winning Lucy Bermingham (Violet, Spring Awakening) and choreography by Amy Campbell (So You Think You Can Dance, Hispanic Attack).
Tickets for In The Heights are now available online at www.hayestheatre.com.au or by calling the Hayes Theatre Co Box Office during business hours on (02) 8065 7337.
Photo by Grant Leslie.