The reviews are in for In the Heights, New York City Center’s 2026 gala revival of the 2008 Tony winner by Lin-Manuel Miranda and Quiara Alegría Hudes, directed by David Mendizábal with Matte Martinez as Usnavi and Natalie Venetia Belcon as Abuela Claudia. The critics are warmer about the company than about the show: nearly all of them hand the evening to Ishmael Gonzalez’s Sonny, and where they part is the staging, which The New York Times, TheaterMania and Cititour found exhilarating and Culture Sauce and The Musical Theatre Report did not.
The verdict: eight reviews in so far, and only one outlet publishes a rating: Culture Sauce, at three out of five. The New York Times, TheaterMania, Talkin’ Broadway and Cititour are enthusiastic; Vulture and New York Theater like the company more than the book’s stop-start structure; and The Musical Theatre Report dissents outright. Where they come closest to agreeing is Ishmael Gonzalez as Sonny, singled out by six of the eight.
What are critics saying about In the Heights?
The New York Times
"‘In the Heights’ Review: An Exuberant Revival Takes Us Back Uptown"
Reviewer: Helen Shaw
Shaw hears Miranda’s score as a soundtrack of the city itself, stitched together from merengue, salsa standards and even the jingle of an ice cream truck, and she finds the revival tuned to exactly that.
"A sweet breeze does move through the director David Mendizábal’s frequently ecstatic concert revival"
She credits Matte Martinez with keeping Usnavi both charming and endearingly hapless through his footwork, and names Ishmael Gonzalez’s Sonny the show-stealer of the night.
Vulture
"In the Heights Comes Back With Its Head in the Clouds"
Reviewer: Jackson McHenry
McHenry reads the musical through its imagery of altitude, and notes that keeping the production fixed in 2008 makes its optimism land differently against the politics of the years since.
"makes a strong case that there’s an exciting new generation of clarion-voiced theater actors"
He is cooler on the stop-start pacing of the book and the work the second act has to do, but rates Ishmael Gonzalez the great scene-stealer and admires Natalie Venetia Belcon’s Abuela Claudia.
TheaterMania
"In the Heights, Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Victory Lap at New York City Center"
Reviewer: Zachary Stewart
Stewart treats the revival as a fitting moment to revisit Miranda’s Broadway debut, and finds the production at its best in the big group numbers, “Carnaval del Barrio” above all.
"director David Mendizábal honors that spirit with a joyous and energetic production"
He calls the principal cast excellent across the board and gives Ishmael Gonzalez the evening’s most memorable performance; his complaints are muddy sound balance and a second act that drags, and he expects the show back on Broadway before long.
Culture Sauce
"‘In the Heights’ speaks to a new generation in a gorgeously sung revival"
Reviewer: Thom Geier · 3 out of 5
Geier, who saw the original Off-Broadway in 2007, admires the singing, with Ashley De La Rosa’s Vanessa and Natalie Venetia Belcon’s Claudia among the standouts, and notes Gonzalez regularly upstaging Martinez.
"Mendizábal’s staging can be awkward, with actors going up and down the stairs seemingly at random"
He also wants more lift from the choreography, finds the Act One blackout a misfire and asks the sound design to let the lyrics through, concluding that the revival only partly forges its own path.
Talkin’ Broadway
Reviewer: Howard Miller
Miller concedes the show crams in more ideas and plot threads than it can comfortably hold, but argues the gala revival keeps the youthful drive that made it a hit.
"the production makes for a thoroughly glorious night of theatregoing, with all involved earning high praise"
He says Martinez recalls a young Miranda when he raps and outdoes him when he dances, singles out choreographer Mayte Natalio, and would not be surprised to see the production move on.
New York Theater
Reviewer: Jonathan Mandell
Mandell notes that this staging goes back to the published script and the Broadway song order, undoing the film’s changes and making it something of a period piece, and he credits the energy of the dancing and a talented young cast.
"that optimism, in the face of the current circumstances in the country, feels like an act of defiance"
His reservation is the structure: the interlocking stories strike him as more illustrative than developed, and each is wrapped up a little too quickly and neatly.
Cititour
"In the Heights Rises to the Top"
Reviewer: Brian Scott Lipton
Lipton is the most excited voice here, calling the revival electric while granting that the musical has always been overstuffed with plots and subplots.
"creating one of the most sensational productions I’ve seen in many years"
For him the dancing and the score carry the evening past the story, with warm words for Belcon, Linedy Genao’s Daniela and Aaron James McKenzie’s Benny, and he wonders whether Broadway is next.
The Musical Theatre Report
Reviewer: Ben West
West filed only brief notes this week, but they make him the clear dissenter: he finds fault with the production and the material alike.
"a dull, dull, deeply unassured production of a mediocre property that borders on poor"
Set beside the raves, his verdict is a reminder that the case for this revival rests on its performers rather than its direction.
Production photographs by Valerie Terranova.
Before opening night we published the first look at In the Heights at New York City Center, along with our earlier report on the production. For more of what the New York critics have been saying, read our roundup for A Few Good Men at the Vivian Beaumont Theater.
In the Heights plays New York City Center, 131 West 55th Street, through November 15, running 2 hours and 30 minutes with one intermission.
