Chicago Tribune
- Recommended
"...That melodic, sentimental affection — delivered with enough contemporary zest and hip-hop irreverence to cut the treacle — is the great strength of this 2008 Tony winner, which has a three-week stand in Chicago as part of its national tour. Its warm ambience is especially welcome on a frigid December night. Andy Blankenbuehler’s glorious choreography — free, fresh, sexy, empowered — would be welcome on any night."
Chicago Sun Times
- Highly Recommended
"...though the first-rate national touring company production that opened Tuesday night at the Cadillac Palace Theatre will be in town only until Jan. 3, by all rights it should run here for a year. This is a sentimental “West Side Story” for the “ought” generation, and watching it I could only think: I wish Leonard Bernstein were still around to pat the musical’s still twentysomething creator, Lin-Manuel Miranda, on the back and proclaim him his musical heir (a master blender of salsa and hip-hop and old-fashioned anthems), and also give him kudos for his wonderfully hip but always conversational lyrics."
Daily Herald
- Highly Recommended
"...This top-notch national tour of the four-time Tony Award-winning musical pulsates with a contagious heat wave of youthful energy and enthusiasm. And that's not just because it's set in the middle of July in the heavily Latino neighborhood of Washington Heights on the northern tip of Manhattan."
Copley News Service
- Recommended
"...The show tries to carry the audience along with its Latin beat and high velocity dancing. The score is a mixture of rhythmic numbers in the Latin style and sentimental ballads. The rhythm numbers tend to sound alike but they provide the superstructure for plenty of joyous dancing choreographed by Andy Blankenbuehler."
Talkin Broadway
- Highly Recommended
"...If the characters all seem a little too good to be true, flawed but not seriously flawed, the truth is we don't have much time to think about them as we're mostly being dazzled by the nearly wall-to-wall music and athletic dancing of the young company. Andy Blankenbuehler's choreography incorporates dance styles from hip-hop, salsa, jazz and ballet, and there's so much of it that you could almost consider the ensemble the star of the show, as they get as much or more stage time than any of the principals."
Centerstage
- Highly Recommended
"...Icy winds howl outside the Cadillac Palace, but once inside you're magically transported into the theatrical world of New York City's Washington Heights barrio on a steamy summer day. The atmosphere is fueled by Lin-Manuel Miranda's hot, pulsating Latin and hip-hop score and intensified by Andy Blankenbuehler's dynamic choreography. There can be no easier escape from Chicago's blustery weather than spending a few hours amid the warmth and charm of the Latino culture In the Heights."
ChicagoCritic
- Somewhat Recommended
"...The most realistic content is the terrific salsa, rhythmic music from Lin-Manuel Miranda that allowed a Fosse-Robinson styled hip-hop meets salsa dances to rumble in 4-5 high energy show-stoppers. That was the best part of the show. For the most part, the vocals were weaker that I’ve heard from most touring productions. The show is lush with sentimental heart as plays to the basic humanity of these immigrants. It is hard to argue with that. I believe younger audiences (and Latinos) will enjoy In the Heights more than I did. The production values, despite some sound problems, delivered winning moments."
Chicago Stage and Screen
- Recommended
"...The direction by Thomas Kail and choreography by Andy Blankenbuehler are top notch and the set by Anna Louizos is very realistic. The street looks real (with the exception of no cars) but throughout the play we see people going up stairs, on their fire escapes (New York Terraces) and walking in their apartments from room to room."
