In the Heights

Until a few weeks ago, you could refer to this exhilarating neighbourhood musical as a West Side Story update in uptown Washington Heights, where the cats are cool and the living ain’t easy. Now it’s signposted as the fi rst Broadway hit (winning four Tony Awards in 2008) of the man who’s altered the course of American musical theatre. That man is Lin-Manuel Miranda, a 35-year-old New Yorker of Puerto Rican parentage whose current Broadway show Hamilton, which explodes the myth of America’s founding fathers in a feast of street rap and high-class hip-hop, has, according to Andrew Lloyd Webber, no less, raised and changed the bar for all musicals.

Miranda, who writes the music and lyrics, is appearing in Hamilton. He first did this in In The Heights, playing Usnavi, the owner of a corner-shop bodega who raps us, and wraps us, into the community of tradesmen, artists, dreamers and good-time girls in the beauty salon.

At King’s Cross – a temporary theatre right by the station – Usnavi is ebulliently played by our own Sam Mackay. Luke Sheppard’s production, first seen at the Southwark Playhouse last year, is a real firecracker of rap and hip-hop as well as salsa, rumba, carnival congas and even a lovely waltztime number for the cab-firm boss’s daughter Nina (a striking, touching performance by newcomer Lily Frazer), who has left college to replenish her roots.

The folk here are mainly Spanish-speaking Dominican American, but there’s a frisson of West Side Story racial tension when Nina’s boyfriend turns out to be the wrong sort of Latino and her parents start carrying on like the peevish Capulets in Romeo And Juliet. Otherwise, West Side Story is most honoured in the brilliant, highly athletic dance routines of Drew McOnie, and in the answer to the question ‘Does your cousin dance?’ ‘Like a drunk Chita Rivera.’

The great Chita’s got newgeneration rivals here in Victoria Hamilton-Barritt’s slinky and sexually audacious salon siren, and Jade Ewen as Usnavi’s feisty soulmate. There’s also a sweet old granny who wins the lottery, dies and helps untangle the plot knots.

At which point the West Side Story analogy breaks down completely. But the show has acquired its own energy and momentum and has doubled up on a feel-good factor that starts the minute you enter this improvised new venue and find yourself in a welcoming, very big, Latino bar. When the company lets rip in the joyous Carnaval Del Barrio, the pact with the audience is ratified. Deal done.

Until 3 January at the King’s Cross Theatre, Goods Way, London N1: 0844-871 7604, www.intheheightslondon.com