There Glows the Neighborhood: Countryside Community Theatre’s “In the Heights,” at the North Scott High School Fine Arts Auditorium through July 7

Never a fan of schmaltz, the preshow announcement at Countryside Community Theatre's In the Heights had me rolling my eyes. And its vaguely threatening “no pictures or videos” message didn’t stop the ladies in front of me anyway. At first, I wasn’t sure what I was fully getting into with this production. But I wound up pleasantly surprised by its commitment and heart, with no further eye-rolling necessary – thank goodness!

Let’s just get it out of the way: Directed by Kris Doss, Countryside's latest skews young. However, given that In the Heights demands diversity, I was impressed that Doss assembled a capable cast that exceeded my expectations on representation of the barrio. In the Heights follows a portion of the Dominican neighborhood of Washington Heights over three days as they navigate family dynamics, budding romances, and summer’s sultry heat. The show is composed of intertwining stories of families and a neighborhood that becomes family.

There's Usnavi (a charming but unassuming Jacob Johnson), who owns a Bodega and is in love with the beautician Vanessa (an undeniably talented Mia Roldan). Vanessa has her own dream of bigger and better things, and she and Usnavi have an interesting dynamic that's really pushed together by Usnavi’s cousin Sonny (the enjoyable Micah Roldan). There’s Nina Rosario (a powerhouse Abi Jensen), the daughter of Kevin (Scott Rasso) and his wife Camila (Harmoni Eiland). They own and run the neighborhood taxi service, yet the Rosarios are in distress because Nina has dropped out of Stanford and money is tight all around. There's also Benny (Keith Wright), a young, ambitious Black man who helps run the taxi business and has taken a serious interest in Nina.

And connecting them all is Abuela Claudia (Cindy Ramos), who is not anyone’s abuela (grandmother), but who has commandeered the title for the whole block. One of the production's breathtaking moments involved Jensen's song “Everything I Know,” which reflected on Abuela’s impact on the entire neighborhood; Jensen is a truly remarkable performer. As for Ramos, she certainly has the pipes for her role, and makes the figure lovable, without question. Given the character’s major health concerns, Abuela was depicted as a bit too spry for my taste, but if you’re willing to suspend some disbelief, it all works out fine.

While Kevin Hurley’s scenic design for this particular block was simple and fairly straightforward, it served the production overall; gritty and unpolished is exactly what one would expect from this neighborhood. (I especially enjoyed the set crew wearing construction helmets and vests as they transitioned between locations.) One thing that Hurley’s set did especially well was lend the cast plenty of space and opportunity for showcasing Emma Logas’ upbeat and lively choreography – and there was a lot of dancing in this lively presentation.

While I question which Washington Heights dance clubs allow entrance to middle-schoolers, “The Club” was overwhelmingly where the technical elements were showcased to their fullest extent. The flips, partner work, and group dancing looked fantastic all around, and this nightclub number also found Sam Bevan’s lighting effects particularly effective. The same cannot be said for most of the other scenes, as Doss’ cast, infuriatingly, struggled to end up in the areas on stage that were lit. It’s unclear to me where the fault for this lies, but more often than not, faces were in shadow, which was disappointing.

In the Heights was actually a more props-heavy show than I would have anticipated, providing props master Haidyn Koberg quite the challenge at some points, and offering more opportunities to suspend disbelief and just go with the action. Some of the prop-centric flaws were actually actor-based: If you’re holding a cup of coffee, you need to pretend there’s liquid in it, and not hold it sideways. However, there were other prop struggles, such as the decision to use a twist-off, sparkling-grape-juice bottle in place of the champagne called for. The song that the bottle is employed for it is called “Champagne,” and it features specific lyrics referencing the bottle's cage as necessary to “hold the cork in.” Luckily, though, Roldan and Johnson, with their singing and the promise of a happy ending, have the chops to mostly distract you from the awkward container.

Meanwhile, I’d be remiss to not mention Violeta Jensen (mother to Nia portrayer Abi Jensen), who provides a fabulous take on salon owner Daniela, and is a distinct delight to watch. Vocal director Chase Shoemaker had a huge undertaking with this musical, and its broad range of musical styles representing many Latin rhythms and rap was mostly successful. Given the age of some of the cast, diction issues were easier to overlook, and overall, the message of each song was not lost even when specific lyrics were. When punctuated with some of the more outstanding solo numbers, the show's music was enjoyable indeed.

Countryside’s telling might not be perfect, but it is a lot of fun. And if you’re looking for a high-energy musical set on and around Independence Day (nice timing there, folks!), you won’t regret spending the evening grooving In the Heights.

Countryside Community Theatre's In the Heights runs at the North Scott High School Fine Arts Auditorium (200 South First Street, Eldridge IA) through July 7, and more information and tickets are available by visiting CountrysideQC.org.