Inaugural production of 'In The Heights' to serve as 'battle cry' for Latino community

For Marianne S. Taylor, Springfield's mainstage debut of "In The Heights" is more than just a winter musical; it's a "battle cry" for the local Latino community.

"I know that there's a Latino community here, but I don't see it represented as much," she said. "I don't see them as out there, as loud and proud as I know that we can be. This will be, and I really do believe this, this play will be a battle cry, 'Hey, we see you. You're a part of this community.'"

Taylor, who plays Camila Rosario in the musical, said the story of Latino resilience portrayed throughout "In The Heights" deeply resonates with her. Originally from the Dominican Republic, Taylor moved to Springfield about two years ago. She has family who live in the Washington Heights neighborhood in New York City, which is where "In The Heights" is set. Taylor hopes the musical encourages her community to "raise their flag."

A collaboration between Springfield Little Theatre and the Mosaic Arts Collective, "In The Heights" opens at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 26, at The Landers Theatre. The musical runs through Feb. 11, with shows Thursday through Sunday. Evening shows start at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday matinees start at 2 p.m. Tickets are available on the Springfield Little Theatre website between $28-42. The show runs two hours with a 15-minute intermission.

To co-director Nki Calloway's understanding, this is the first time "In The Heights" is being produced on a main stage in Springfield. It is also the largest Latino cast in a Springfield production.

"In The Heights" tells the story of the largely Dominican American Washington Heights neighborhood in Upper Manhattan. The plot follows Nina, a Stanford student returning home; Usnavi, a bodega owner; and Vanessa, his love interest, who dreams of moving away. Written by Quiara Alegría Hudes and composed by Lin-Manuel Miranda, "In The Heights" received four Tony Awards in 2008 for Best Choreographer, Musical, Orchestrations and Original Music Score.

"I think it ('In The Heights') really blends in with the title of Mosaic Arts Collective," said Tyler Simpson, who plays Usnavi. "It's not one of those shows that's pushing a certain narrative or trying to make you think one certain way. It's really just this beautiful glimpse into this community's life and this mosaic of a neighborhood."

Necessary changes

In the original production, "In The Heights" only features 12 cast members, but 60 performers will share The Landers stage in a few weeks. Calloway said about 85% of the local cast is Latino, with the remaining 15% made up of Afro-Latinos.

"We were originally only going for about 30 people in the show, but what happened was when people came to show up to audition, they brought their families with them," Calloway said. "We have a mom with four daughters ... a dad with his sons, we have a grandmother with her grandchildren."

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In total, about 100 people auditioned for the show.

Along with expanding the cast size, Calloway and co-director Amanda Snead made the decision to include children in the show. The original production is made up of only 12 adults.

"Amanda and I firmly believe in community and in community there are children, so in order to show what a community like this looks like, we had to have kids," Calloway said.

'Breaking bread'

Calloway said one of her favorite parts of rehearsal, which audiences won't get to experience, is the sharing and exploration of new foods.

"I have not had to cook dinner in like three months," Calloway said with a laugh. "This cast, they bring food. They really showed us what it's like to be in their community, although we did recruit them to the space. We have really let them take the wheel and show us what their community is about."

Simpson echoed Calloway.

"Something that we keep telling all the members of this show to not get used to is, we get fed well every single night," Simpson said, laughing, too. "This is a community that loves to cook and spend time eating with one another. That doesn't usually happen in a show, but every single night somebody's bringing something to eat. That's been a really beautiful experience. I kind of just believe that just eating with people in general is such a bonding thing ... to be able to break bread with someone else."

In addition to sharing nightly meals, the cast often spends time together outside of rehearsals.

Ben Hernandez, who plays Kevin Rosario in the musical, said this quality time together has created a strong bond he believes will withstand time.

"We all came in here as individuals, but after the first week, we are family," Hernandez said. "We not only act and sing together, we also care about each other behind the scenes. There are many times that we have get-togethers. We're trying to make sure that the friendships we are trying to build it not only for the show but will last after the show."

"In The Heights" is Hernandez's theater debut in Springfield and his first performance on stage in 30 years. Originally from Panama, Hernandez spent the majority of his acting career in Los Angeles. His last production was "West Side Story" in West Hollywood.

"We may be different people but now we are family and we are inviting everyone in the community to become part of our family," Hernandez said. "It's not just the actors on the stage. If you are Latino, you are also part of the tapestry that is created in this city."

While this is not the first partnership between Springfield Little Theatre and the Mosaic Arts Collective, it is the organizations' first mainstage production together. Last year, the Mosaic Arts Collective sponsored children to participate in "Moana JR.," a part of Springfield Little Theatre's Education Series. The two have also co-hosted summer camps like "Hamilton" and "The Lion King."

Greta Cross is the trending topics reporter for the Springfield News-Leader. Follow her on X and Instagram @gretacrossphoto. Story idea? Email her at gcross@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Little Theatre, Mosaic Arts Collective produce 'In The Heights'