Fil-Am Actress Arielle Jacobs Plays Lead In IN THE HEIGHTS National Tour

Co-written with John Bautista

Filipino-American actress Arielle Jacobs is currently playing the lead role of Nina Rosario in the first national tour of Tony and Grammy-winning musical IN THE HEIGHTS.  The tour kicked off in Tampa, Florida last October 27, 2009 and will end in Costa Mesa, California on August 15, 2010. 

San Francisco-raised Arielle gets her Filipino blood from her mother's side. Arielle's grandfather, who was originally from Pangasinan in the Philippines, moved to the U.S. with his wife and three children in 1965 after 17 years of petitioning for U.S. citizenship. 

Graduating magna cum laude from New York University (NYU), with a Bachelor of Music Degree in Vocal Performance, Arielle has originated the role of Gabriella Montez in the national tour of Disney's HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL and the world premiere of HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL 2.  She was also seen in musicals A CHORUS LINE, CINDERELLA, BABES IN ARMS, THE KING AND I, RAGTIME and ROSE OF CORAZON. 

"Like Nina Rosario, I always put a lot of effort and focus on academics. In high school, I took AP classes and had a 4.2 G.P.A. when I graduated. I had dreams to go to an Ivy League university, like Harvard or Columbia. I wanted to be an Environmental Activist. In the end, I went to New York University (NYU) and studied music. I'm very hard on myself, and I always try to fix my problems on my own, just like Nina in the show.  Like her, I have a tendency to isolate myself in times of stress, and close off from people who love me most. During every performance, I get to relearn the important lesson that Nina discovers; allowing myself to lean on others, accepting their support without feeling shame for needing help," Arielle told BroadwayWorld.com.

IN THE HEIGHTS, which features music and lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda and book by Quiara Alegría Hudes, opened to rave reviews on Broadway in 2008. It was nominated for 13 Tony Awards, winning three, including Best Musical.

IN THE HEIGHTS tells the intertwined stories of various characters living in the Dominican Republic neighborhood of Washington Heights in New York City. The music of IN THE HEIGHTS is very different from the familiar Broadway style as it fuses music genres of Latin, hip-hop, soul and rap.

Arielle sinks her teeth into the role of Nina, an overacheiving student who drops out of Stanford University after failing to cope with the pressure of working two jobs to pay for school.

Arielle has been winning rave reviews from theatre critics since the start of the tour.

"Arielle Jacobs makes Nina the show's most compelling character, both Jacobs and Gonzales-Nacer (Vanessa) have radiant voices that bring power and poignancy to such songs "When You're Home,"  "It Won't Be Long" and "Breathe," said Jay Handelman of Variety. 

"We related most to Nina...Arielle Jacobs could sing her way to world peace. Seriously.  Her mellifluous and angelic voice held the web of distraught characters together and drew the audience in with sweetness and grace," noted Suzy Evans of Chicagoist.

"My favorite song to sing in this show is "Everything I Know."  The song starts in one place emotionally, and ends somewhere completely different. The song is about discovery, and the realization of our own individual power. Our power and strength, our ability to make a difference, is always greater than we realize.  In this song, I get to experience that moment of knowing, that feeling of possibility and determination every night," Arielle said.

Interestingly, Arielle's brother, Adam Jacobs, is also into musical theatre.  He recently portrayed Marius in the 2005 Broadway revival of LES MISERABLES, where Tony winner Lea Salonga played Fantine.

IN THE HEIGHTS' first national tour also features stage actors Kyle Beltran (Usnavi), Daniel Bolero (Kevin), Rogelio Douglas, Jr. (Benny), Yvette Gonzalez-Nacer (Vanessa), Jose-Luis Lopez (Graffiti Pete), Genny Lis Padilla (Carla), Isabel Santiago (Daniela), Elise Santora (Abuela Claudia), Shaun Taylor-Corbett (Sonny), David Baida (Piragua Guy), among others.

For IN THE HEIGHTS tour dates click HERE.

Photo:  Arielle Jacobs (Nina) and Rogelio Douglas, Jr. (Benny) by Joan Marcus