In anticipation of his joining the national tour for its Los Angeles leg (starting June 22), Miranda plays charming bodega owner Usnavi in Tempe, AZ, on the Saturday and Sunday matinees June 19-20. He created the role on Broadway and was Tony-nominated as Best Actor in a Musical. He'll also star in the upcoming Universal film version of the show.
In the Heights, which won the 2008 Tony Award as Best Musical, ends its Arizona run at Gammage Auditorium on June 20. Visit www.asugammage.com for more information.
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In the Heights will play L.A.'s Pantages Theatre June 22-July 25. The hip-hop, Latin-flaired musical will officially open there June 23.
In the Heights, according to the producers, "tells the universal story of a vibrant community in New York's Washington Heights neighborhood — a place where the coffee from the corner bodega is light and sweet, the windows are always open and the breeze carries the rhythm of three generations of music. It's a community on the brink of change, full of hopes, dreams and pressures, where the biggest struggles can be deciding which traditions you take with you, and which ones you leave behind." "To be honest, I've been itching to play with the tour cast since we began their rehearsals last fall," Miranda said in an earlier statement. "It has been a joy to watch Kyle Beltran and the rest of this company make this show their own, and to win over audiences all over the country. I'm excited to play at the gorgeous Pantages Theater… I can't think of a better way to prepare myself for the demands of playing Usnavi in the movie version of Heights. Most of all, I can't wait to get back on that stage, in Usnavi's shoes."
Miranda wrote the first incarnation of the show as a sophomore at Wesleyan College in Connecticut. The Tony-nominated book is by Quiara Alegria Hudes. Miranda wrote music and lyrics, winning a Best Score Tony.
In the Heights is produced by Kevin McCollum, Jeffrey Seller, Jill Furman Willis, Sander Jacobs, Robyn Goodman/Walt Grossman, Peter Fine and Sonny Everett/Mike Skipper with associate producers Ruth Hendel and Harold Newman.
For more information, visit IntheHeightsTheMusical.com.
