Casting was announced today for the national touring company of IN THE HEIGHTS. The tour will launch October 27 at Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center. The cast will feature Kyle Beltran, Rogelio Douglas Jr., Natalie Toro, Shaun Taylor-Corbett.
Recent Carnegie Mellon graduate Beltran will play Usnavi, the narrator who whisks the audience on a tour of life in Washington Heights, the Latino community in northern Manhattan. According to press notes, IN THE HEIGHTS is a "quintessential New York musical about a vibrant and tight-knit community at the top of the island of Manhattan. The music pulses with the hopes and dreams of three generations as they struggle to forge an identity in a neighborhood on the brink of transition."
The ensemble includes Daniel Bolero (Kevin), Little Mermaid veteran Rogelio Douglas Jr. (Benny), Yvette Gonzalez-Nacer (Vanessa), Arielle Jacobs (Nina), Jose-Luis Lopez (Graffiti Pete), Genny Lis Padilla (Carla), Isabel Santiago (Daniela), Elise Santora (Abuela Claudia), Shaun Taylor-Corbett (Sonny) and A Tale of Two Cities actress Natalie Toro (Camila).
IN THE HEIGHTS is a musical with music and lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda and a book by Quiara Alegría Hudes. The show was nominated for thirteen Tony Awards, and took home four awards including Best Musical and Best Score. The show's score, featuring a mix of hip-hop, salsa, merengue and soul music won the 2008 Grammy Award for Best Musical Show Album. On November 7, 2008, Universal Pictures announced that they plan to adapt the musical as a feature film for release in 2010
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 www.InTheHeightsTheMusical.com.
Article reprinted with permission from www.BroadwayWorld.com
