Published: 12:00 AM, Thu Jan 19, 2012
'In the Heights' fan went from waiting by the stage door to starring onstage
Long before Celina Clarich Polanco was a star of "In the Heights," she was a fan of the Broadway production.
"I've kind of been an unofficial groupie of this show for a very long time," Polanco said. "I used to be the girl waiting at the stage door. It's come full circle."
Polanco is starring as Camila in the show, which will be staged at UNC-Pembroke's Givens Performing Arts Center Tuesday.
The musical, described by some critics as a combination of "West Side Story" and "Rent," focuses on three days in the life of some residents of the New York City neighborhood of Washington Heights. The musical won 2008 Tony Awards for Best Musical, Best Choreography, Best Score and Best Orchestrations.
Polanco plays Camila, the mother of Nina, who makes her parents and neighbors proud when she goes off to college at Stanford University. Camila and her husband, Kevin, own a struggling taxi company.
But Nina's dreams of success beyond Washington Heights are threatened when she loses her college scholarship and her parents are unable to pay her tuition.
Nina becomes romantically involved with Benny, an employee of the taxi company. But the interracial union doesn't sit well with Nina's parents. They are Latino, and Benny is black.
A power blackout and the news that someone in the neighborhood has bought a winning lottery ticket further complicate life in Washington Heights.
Polanco, who saw "In the Heights" many times during its Broadway run, said the play is ultimately about something everybody can relate to - family.
"I believe it's about finding your home, whether it's your biological family, or the family you create," Polanco said in a telephone interview from Chicago, where the show was on tour. "It's about following your dream and finding your true home. It's about the importance of community.
"It's a really lovely tapestry of New York, but it's very relatable," she said. "It doesn't matter where you live, you're going to be able to relate to those underlying themes."
Polanco said the cast of more than 20, plus a seven-member band, works hard to recreate the feeling of a diverse New York neighborhood. The diversity, she said, is reflected in the show's music.
"Musically, it's a lot of different styles. There's rock, hip-hop influences, there's Latin rhythms," she said. "I believe that really brings the audience in."
And the audience is definitely a part of the show, Polanco said. She said "In the Heights" has attracted some of the most vocal audiences she's ever encountered.
That enthusiasm is encouraged. Polanco said "In the Heights" is not the type of show where audience members are expected to just sit still.
"It's a get-up-and-dance-in the-aisle kind of show," she said. "The music is contagious, not only for the audience but for the performers. You can feel the electricity onstage and backstage."
Staff writer Rodger Mullen can be reached at mullenr@fayobserver.com or 486-3561.