In the Heights
Lin-Manuel Miranda (Music & Lyrics)
Quiara Alegría Hudes (Book)
South Bay Musical Theatre
As our country born of immigrants seeking a better life is only weeks away from celebrating its 250th anniversary, recent immigrant citizens and non-citizens alike feel their lives and livelihood here threatened by a current administration and its cohorts who demonize them daily — especially, it seems, anyone who is Latinx. At such a precarious point in our history, South Bay Musical Theatre has boldly decided to celebrate the Semiquincentennial of the U.S. with a joyful, exuberant, and thoroughly patriotic production of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s 2008-premiering and multiple Tony-Award-winning In the Heights. In doing so, SBMT has gathered from all across the San Francisco Bay Area an exceptionally talented cast of thirty that is diverse in every imaginable dimension, resulting in a production that should be a must-see by everyone who loves and treasures the rich traditions, heritages, and contributions of our nation’s immigrant roots.
Lin-Manuel Miranda (music and lyrics) and Quiara Alegría Hudes’ (book) In the Heights quickly established itself as one that would influence a new generation of stage musicals. Like the original, South Bay’s large cast is all but one member of Hispanic/Latino backgrounds who speak much Spanish throughout, who freely and frequently rap with abound, and who proudly and gloriously sing in Miranda’s blends of hip-hop, salsa, merengue, and soul.
Please continue to Talkin’Broadway for the rest of my review.
Rating: 5-E, MUST-SEE
A Theatre Eddys Best Bet Production
In the Heights continues through June 6, 2026, in a two-hour, thirty minute (one intermission) production by South Bay Musical Theatre at Saratoga Civic Theatre, 13777 Fruitvale Avenue, Saratoga, CA. Tickets are available online at https://southbaymt.com or at the box office Monday – Sunday, 10 a.m. – 7 p.m. (phone, 408-266-4734)
Photo Credit: Dave Lepori
