Taking concept, story, book, lovable characters, Americana cultural allusions, lyrics and music together, Dos Pueblos Theatre Company’s In the Heights is the best-written show I have ever played or served as musical director for, including — dare I mention? — West Side Story, Fiddler on the Roof and Most Happy Fella, among others.

Winner of the 2008 Tony Awards for Best Musical, Original Score, Choreography and Orchestrations, and nominated for nine other Tonys, In the Heights features the hippest blend of music and dancing in a Broadway musical yet. About two-thirds of the music is music of the Caribbean — authentic salsa, son, merengue, bachata and reggaeton, with mostly English lyrics but lots of Spanish and street slang thrown in the mix.

The show also features lots of hip hop and rap patter (with clever internal and end-of-line rhymes), and great R&B, funk and dance-hall grooves. There are some poignant waltzes and ballads as well.

It is directed by Clark Sayre, choreographed and produced by Gioia Marchese with costumes by Miller James.

Don’t miss this great show about regular people trying to get by in a Dominican neighborhood in the Washington Heights section of upper Manhattan, with huge sets up to the rafters, live-feed big-screen video, and the talented Dos Pueblos High School student cast supported by an expert orchestra of local professionals, SBCC jazz band veterans and a few DPHS students.

Performances will be held at 7 p.m. April 12-13, 18-19, 20 and 26-27 and 2 p.m. April 13. Opening night, April 12, is sold out.

All performances will be held at the Elings Performing Arts Center at 7266 Alameda Ave. in Goleta. Tickets are $15 for general admission and $10 for students and seniors. Tickets and information for all performances are available by clicking here.

— John Douglas is the musical director for the Dos Pueblos Theatre Company.