W hen the usual opening announcements were delivered in both English and Spanish, the audience guessed that something was up. When the house lights dimmed and the sounds of a radio being tuned emanated, switching from hip-hop beats to slow Latin salsa, the audience knew something was a little different. Following the opening title song, which used rap to introduce the characters and their struggles in New York City’s Washington Heights, the audience was certain they had never seen a musical quite like “In the Heights.”

The 2008 Tony Award winner for Best Musical, “In the Heights” ran at Shea’s Performing Arts Center from Jan. 26-31. The musical followed the struggles and triumphs of three generations of the close-knit Hispanic community during the three days surrounding the Fourth of July.

The characters’ overlapping stories were narrated by Usnavi, a shop owner named for the U. S. Navy ship his parents first saw upon arriving in America. While Kyle Beltran is not a natural at rapping, he wonderfully portrayed Usnavi as a hardworking, hopeful young man, if a little dorky in the arena of love.

Beltran had the luck of being able to play off Sabrina Sloan, who played Usnavi’s love interest Vanessa. Her powerful vocals may rival that of Karen Olivio, who originated the role on Broadway.

Arielle Jacobs, who portrayed the community’s bright, overachiever Nina, was last seen in Buffalo as Gabrielle during the 2007 tour of “High School Musical.” She may have still been stuck in the mind-set of playing the shy academic, as Nina came off as more timid than strong. Her vocals were pretty enough, but there was always something lacking in her portrayal, which made her relationship with the constantly warm and funny Benny, excellently played by Rogelio Douglas Jr., somewhat unrealistic.

The show’s use of rap isn’t the only thing that sets it apart from other musicals. The dancing was very unique, using break dancing, salsa and merengue and lyrical to depict past events, the passage of time and the characters’ hopes.

As community is such a huge element of this show, the depiction of Washington Heights on the stage is just as important as the portrayal of any character. Luckily, taking the show on tour has not diminished the set design. The George Washington Bridge, always present as the stage’s backdrop, looked as if it was transported straight from northern Manhattan. The characters’ struggles with finances seemed all too real among the crumbling apartments and shabby bodegas.

The show was filled with humor. On opening night, the audience laughed loud, heartily and often, despite that the audience was largely Caucasian and older.

While the rapping used in the show would seem to be an excellent conduit for humor, the show wasn’t all laughs. As audience members were probably shocked to discover, the hip-hop medium only helped to enhance the show’s themes regarding the importance of love and family.

Carlene Miller is a senior at Alden High School.