Lin-Manuel Miranda’s pre-“Hamilton” hit “In The Heights” a Marriott Theatre masterpiece

Photos provided by Liz Lauren

A little bit before Lin-Manuel Miranda became a household name by creating and spearheading the unstoppable “Hamilton,” he was already blazing trails on Broadway with “In The Heights” alongside Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Quiara Alegría Hudes.

Together, they collected four Tony Awards and a Grammy in 2008, then found their knack for making the ordinary feel extraordinary escalating in appreciation as the years passed.

It was only fitting to find a show of such stature kicking off the entire 2024 season at the Marriott Theatre, where the circular and centralized stage was an ideal setting to transport the opening night audience to New York’s predominantly Dominican American Washington Heights neighborhood.

They were met by narrator and bodega owner Usnavi (Joseph Morales from the first Broadway tour), who quickly introduced them to many instantly relatable and generally likable characters, including his younger, mischievous cousin Sonny (Jordan Arredondo), the brilliant but broke college scholarship recipient Nina (Addie Morales), her somewhat forbidden Black love interest Benny (Yasir Muhammad), the beautiful, big dreaming Vanessa (Paola V. Hernández) and the matriarchal Abuela Claudia (Crissy Guerrero).

That entire cast, in addition to the ensemble essentials representing the primary social hotspot of the hair salon and the surrounding blocks, are breathtaking at capturing every dramatic arc and subtle nuance, wrapped around equally superb direction by James Vásquez, choreography by William Carlos Angulo and music direction by Jeff Award Winner Ryan T. Nelson.

There sure is a lot for them to unpack, collectively and individually speaking, as they address family, friendship, romance, challenges and traditions, even touching on immigration and gentrification, against the backdrops of a night out at the club, a winning lottery ticket, an unexpected power outage and just as sudden of a tragedy.

In spite of its many intertwining scenarios, “In The Heights” is easy to follow and the two hours breeze by, while a soundtrack of Latin-flavored tunes with hints of hip-hop are a clever and contagious precursor to what would come in “Hamilton.”

The other similarity between the two tales is their quest to leave behind a lasting legacy, which in this instance comes from a community whose extreme resilience is bound to rub off on everyone who walks through its welcoming doors.

“In The Heights” continues at the Marriott Theatre through Sunday, March 17. For additional details, visit MarriottTheatre.com.