Early report! Broadway Musical "IN THE HEIGHTS"
Magcal is on the move!
This time, it's a popular musical that will be held at KAAT Kanagawa Arts Theatre from Saturday, May 10th.
We would like to report on the Broadway musical "IN THE HEIGHTS."
Official page: http://www.intheheights.jp
Did you think, "Huh? It hasn't been released yet?"
That is right.
The play has not yet been performed in Kanagawa, but I was kindly given the opportunity to see the performance in Tokyo in advance in order to write this report.
How has this Broadway classic been reborn with a stellar Japanese cast?
The following is an advance report, so be sure to read it if you're planning on going to the Kanagawa performance or if you're just now interested!
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"IN THE HEIGHTS" was written by Lin-Manuel Miranda while he was a student.
A masterpiece that made its way from Off-Broadway to On-Broadway.
What is interesting is that this time the performance will be in Japan, the language will be Japanese, and the cast will all be Japanese.
How can such a powerful work be expressed in the Japanese version of "In the Heights"?
It was with these expectations in mind that I headed to the Tokyo performance.
The story takes place in Washington Heights in northern Manhattan.
The performance begins with the splendid dance of Pete played by Yukito Ohno and the rap of Usnavi played by Def Tech's Micro.
"In the Heights" starts off powerfully and lightly from the beginning.
This musical is packed with dance, rap and Latin rhythms, so there's always something to see on stage!
Micro's rapping is of course great as it's his specialty, but the person who wrote all the lyrics for this Japan show was none other than KREVA!
The original work is so amazing that it would not be an exaggeration to say that the Japanese version also features the best cast, with both talent and content.
I've gone a little off topic, but the story continues to revolve around Washington Heights.
Washington Heights is home to many immigrants, and Usnavi (Micro) is a Dominican immigrant who runs the general store left to him by his parents and dreams of returning to his home country one day.
He falls in love with Vanessa (Otsuka Chihiro), who works at a nearby beauty salon, but he also gives her his signature coffee.
One after another, everyone in the town appears in ordinary everyday scenes, such as when he lectures his inept part-time worker, Sonny (Nakagawa Masaki).
Also, Benny (Matsushita Yuya), who works at a taxi company in the same town, is in love with the daughter of the company president and his wife, Benny (Umeda Ayaka/AKB48).
I can't bring myself to tell my husband about it.
Benny himself has a secret that he cannot tell his parents, and their respective thoughts and worries intersect.
Along with these various stories, the town is experiencing a major turning point.
A great miracle occurs to Abuela (Maeda Minami), who is loved by everyone in the town, causing chaos in the town...
Photo: Nobuhiko Hikiji
After a single incident, everyone is overcome with joy and anxiety, and their thoughts and feelings collide, and they begin to explore love, separation, sadness, and what true happiness is.
What are the things that are truly important?
These various everyday thoughts and feelings were expressed through powerful, emotional singing and dancing, and it was so beautiful that I couldn't take my eyes off it until the very end.
Although the story is set in America, even Japanese people can fully understand the thoughts and feelings of each character.
Once you see the expressiveness of this work, you will understand what it means.
Since this is an advance report, it is a pity that I cannot write in detail about the contents, but on this stage, even though the countries are different, each person's beliefs and thoughts are
I think the Japanese version is truly enjoyable and beautifully expressed.
What I felt especially until the end was that even though it was a rap, the lyrics were still conveyed to the listener.
There were no subtitles at the Tokyo performance, and the tempo of the songs was quite fast in some parts, but I think the fact that these were conveyed so straightforwardly was due to the fact that the Japanese version was so well produced.
You can also enjoy watching the live performance (although you can catch a glimpse of it later), so I hope those who come to see it will enjoy every bit of the performance!
Photo: Nobuhiko Hikiji
The domestic tour of "In the Heights" will be coming to an end this weekend with the Kanagawa performance! Please come and see this fun and beautiful musical this weekend!
Why not visit Washington Heights in Kanagawa?
