George Zamarripa
George Zamarripa (Kevin)
In The Heights
JUNE 23 — JULY 30
What excites you about In the Heights?
In the Heights is the kind of show that transcends difference. While it tells the stories of Latino immigrants living in Washington Heights in New York City at a specific time, the stories are archetypical of the human experience. It’s about family, community, change, life, death, and the human struggle to find our place in the world – to reach our goals and to leave a better world for those who come after us. It’s magical!
What’s your process like in preparing for a show like this, and how does that process change (if at all) from other shows?
When I did the show in 2017, I played the Piragüero (the Piragua guy). The biggest thing I needed to learn was the accent. I worked with a dialect coach and listened to the way people in the neighborhood spoke – lots of YouTube videos! I also pulled from my experience living in New York when I was in college.
This time around, I’m playing Kevin Rosario. Immigrants of any kind straddle two worlds, with one foot in their mother country and the other in their new home. Kevin embodies that push and pull between his old life in Puerto Rico and his new one in the USA. I read first-hand accounts of people who came and started businesses and what it’s like to “flip the switch,” between your old self and your new self.
What’s your biggest challenge about taking on this role?
I want Kevin to feel authentic. My own father has inspired me greatly for this role. He was a very proud, hard-working man who was strict, but completely devoted to his family. Like the Rosarios, my parents worked and did without so their children could have advantages they didn’t have. My father reminds me a lot of Kevin. My biggest challenge is getting the nuance of the strict disciplinarian who shows his love in ways his family and those around him may not understand.
Why do you still perform?
I love telling stories and learning new ones. Good stories help us understand ourselves and the world around us. They stir our emotions. They bring people together, and they connect people and ideas. Stories convey culture, history and values, and have the power to show us just how similar our experiences are. Stories have taught me that, despite our differences and our desire to highlight those differences now more than ever, we have a lot more in common than we like to admit.
And for a short time, a group of actors get to come together and make story magic. While the show itself burns bright for a short time and then disappears, that story, hopefully, lives on to teach and inspire others after the lights have dimmed.
What’s your dream role, and what do you feel you would bring to it?
I don’t really have a “dream role.” I am inspired by storytelling that makes you feel something. If I can do that through a role – whatever it may be – that’s a dream role. At this point in my life, I’ve had many dream roles.
What’s a fun fact people may not know about you?
I used to be a house music DJ in Honolulu back in the early 00’s. I miss it from time to time. Clubs and bars aren’t really all that fun to me anymore. My priorities have changed.
