Invitations to Melbourne’s opening night of In The Heights came with a dress code—“Colour, Culture & Carnaval”—and the musical absolutely delivered on all three of these themes. From beautiful lighting to complex hip-hop dance the show was a delight to watch; I was entranced by the level of detail baked into each element of the production. In The Heights is incredibly well staged, but more than that, it's just incredibly fun.

The show follows an ensemble cast living in Washington Heights in New York City, exploring the neighbourhood in the lead up to the new year amidst romantic endeavours, the looming threat of gentrification, and a breadth of different Latin American migrant experiences. Written by Quiara Alegría Hudes and with music/lyrics from a pre-Hamilton Lin-Manuel Miranda, the sprawling story is quite ambitious for a two-and-a-half-hour musical.

The character’s stories, though individually interesting and compelling, felt quite fragmented—this was particularly noticeable through the second act as it jumped from subplot to subplot. The plot lines and musical pieces were great to watch, but I questioned why certain events happened in the specific order they did. Unrelated moments back-to-back made the narrative lose flow and though enjoyable some of the musical interludes felt disjointed to the overall story. That being said, the Australian company did an incredible job at executing the show. Though it doesn’t have quite the same polish as Miranda’s later work, the musical holds up as a story about love, culture and family. I laughed, danced in my chair, and may have possibly cried just a little.

My favourite parts of In The Heights were when I could watch the vibrant ensemble embody some of the best character work I’ve seen. A significant element of the life on stage was the incredible dancing and movement by choreographer Amy Campbell. There were flips, tricks, dips and dives, often by performers who were singing at the same time, in true demonstration of the triple-threat. Steve Costi’s (Sonny) solo was a particular standout, whilst Malena Searles in the ensemble always caught my eye. The group numbers enraptured me, and I never ran out of places to look or people to watch.

Our leading characters wove in and out of focus seamlessly, standing out for solos and blending back into the ensemble without missing a beat. They gave a perfect demonstration of what sharing a stage really looks like, creating a real sense of familiarity.

Ryan González (Usnavi) was a strong lead (though I did think for a second the real Lin-Manuel Miranda was on stage for a moment) to carry us through the story, working beautifully with Olivia Vásquez (Vanessa). The entire cast had a great chemistry, but González’s dynamic with Lena Cruz (Abuela Claudia) was particularly touching. Our salon workers Vásquez, Vanessa Menjivar (Daniela) and Tamara Foglia Castañeda (Carla) were also incredibly dynamic: teasing, loving, vulnerable and strong all at once. Meanwhile, Alexander Palacio (Kevin Rosario) and Angela Rosero (Camila Rosario) felt like a real married couple, capturing the complexities of hard work and duty versus desire in their portrayals. It’s hard to name a stand-out from the cast when they all deliver a nuanced performance alongside fabulous songs, but the young Maria Gonzalez (Nina Rosario), Ngali Shaw (Benny) and Costi are a bright future for the Australian musical scene.

Of course, a musical can’t be a great musical without great music, and both music director Zara Stanton and the band absolutely delivered. I was impressed with Thien Pham on the trumpet even before his outstanding solo, and his tone playing through the mute was impressive. Lara Wilson also killed it on a range of different percussion with wooden tones and timbres creating some real liveliness in the music. The score was funky, fun and sometimes absurdly difficult, and they executed it well.

I was a bit disappointed at the numerous microphone errors at opening night, and there was a flashing light that was somewhat distracting (though this may have been on-the-night photography). There were, however, improvements in the technical mishaps even between the first and second acts, so I can only attribute this to opening night jitters. The show was otherwise technically well-executed, detailed, textured and just so beautiful to watch. I am still thinking about that firework sequence.

Lighting designer Jasmine Rizk and set designer Mason Browne created a visceral world, capturing its complex changes in time and emotion. Their designs were intricate yet never overwhelming, paying perfect complement to the music and performance on stage. Lighting fixtures were built into the set itself in ways I haven’t seen staged before. Lights were rigged into the set, or almost above the audience, or layered behind semi-transparent walls to create some great depth. The layered lights in particular seemed like reflections on the wall itself, from street signs implied to be behind the audience, and there was evidently a great deal of thought put into enveloping the viewer themself into the performance space. It was all incredibly clever.

In The Heights promised to be a celebration on stage and it wholeheartedly was. The artists captured the magic of musical theatre, of production and of live performance, and it was simply a delight in every way. Despite a few technical errors on opening night, the story rang strong, and if you’re looking for a beautiful show with a beautiful story, this is the one to watch.

In The Heights is showing at Comedy Theatre until Saturday 6^th September.