In the Heights Brings Joy and Hope to New York City Center

Joyful, dreamy, angry, hopeful, and hip, In the Heights at New York City Center is a musical for us, for now. It’s all about aspirations, about coming from a country that is beautiful but poor, to a cold, rich, distant city—Nueva York—where there is work.

“And so we came,” sings Usnavi, the central hero, mournfully. He was brought by his parents as an infant from the Dominican Republic, which he now longs to see. It’s an old story, as old as New York itself, but as told by Lin-Manuel Miranda and playwright Quiara Alegría Hudes, this one is fresh.

The details of the plot—seven stories told over three blisteringly hot days in Washington Heights in July—don't really matter. What matters are the characters, introduced to us by Usnavi, the owner of a struggling bodega.

While opening his bodega Usnavi confronts a vandal, Graffiti Pete, who is spray-painting his grate. He sings, "Up at the break of day, I wake up and I got this little punk I gotta chase away."

As the sun rises, the neighborhood comes awake and we meet Sonny, Usnavi's young cousin who works for him in the bodega; Abuela Claudia, a Cuban immigrant who raised Usnavi after the death of his parents; Daniela and Carla, who own the neighborhood salon; Kevin and Camila Rosario, who run Rosario's Car & Limousine Service company; Benny, Usnavi's best friend and an employee of the Rosarios; and Vanessa, a salon employee with whom Usnavi is smitten. Nina, the Rosarios' daughter, is about to arrive home from Stanford.

The salon is a busy but ruthless place. "Jesus, perdóname,” says owner Daniela. “Gladys went behind my back for a ten-dollar hairdo and guess what she found in her extensions? Una cucaracha. One of the big ones, with wings." Having seen that Nina looks exhausted, co-owner Carla counsels, "Pobrecita, you need a makeover."

But Nina looks exhausted in part because of her news: She dropped out of Stanford. The one from the neighborhood who was supposed to make it has failed miserably. "Maybe the pressure cooker couldn't take it and pah, the lid flew off!" says Daniela, a little coldly.

And there's another problem. The salon is moving to the Bronx. Says Vanessa: "Gettin' out of the barrio, and headin' to the hood."

Everyone is striving, trying to make some money and better their lives. But nearly all are apprehensive. Their neighborhood is changing, as it has changed many times before. Rosario's Car & Limousine Service had been named O'Hanrahan's when Washington Heights was Irish and wealthier. And despite the family's hard work and dedication, Rosario's is far from profitable. Nina, the adored daughter, has lost her scholarship at Stanford. How will they pay the tuition?

One answer is Patience and Faith. In every rendition of In the Heights, including this one, the song "Paciencia y Fe," sung by Abuela Claudia, is a masterpiece of strength and yearning.

"It was hotter at home in La Víbora," sings Abuela Claudia of her home in Cuba.
"The Washington Heights of Havana, a crowded city of faces the same as mine." In La Víbora, Abuela Claudia searched the stars for a sign that life would improve. In Nueva York, "Ain't no Cassiopeia in Washington Heights, But ain't no food in La Víbora." Still, now her life is good, surrounded by family and friends, plus a sort of Latin deus ex machina, winning a $96K lottery ticket.

The presence of Abuela Claudia is one of Lin-Manuel's strongest autobiographical elements. He was indeed brought up by a cherished, abuela-like nanny, Edmunda Claudio, who had raised his father in Puerto Rico. In real life, Lin-Manuel told NPR, the family brought her to Washington Heights to raise him and his sister: "She never spoke a word of English her whole life. But she didn't have to in our neighborhood. And we could go from business to business in English or Spanish, whether it was the candy store or the library or the supermarket. And it was a place where we could all be understood."

This is a classic New York musical. Lin-Manuel is both an innovator and a classicist—so sadness and worry give way to a show-stopping production number. While cast members make their way back to center stage for the "Carnaval del Barrio," Carla muses about her origins, saying, "My mom is Dominican-Cuban, my dad is from Chile and P.R., which means: I'm Chile-Domini-Curican. But I always say I'm from Queens."

Soon she is surrounded by neighbors waving flags—Cuban, Puerto Rican, Mexican, Dominican. The charming vendor who sells piragua (shaved ice) sings, "Alza La Bandera" (raise the flag) and "Recuerdo de mi tierra!" (it's a reminder of my homeland), "Contiene mi alma entera!" (It contains my entire soul). The vendor selling a traditional Puerto Rican iced treat must ward off competition from his American antagonist, Mr. Softee.

This being a traditional musical, love triumphs. Nina falls in love with Benny. Vanessa, miraculously, falls in love with Usnavi. Usnavi decides to stay in Nueva York rather than return to the Dominican Republic.

Humanity and decency win, which was one of City Center's many reasons for re-staging Lin-Manuel's decades-old musical. "In this particular moment we need a great balm of joy," director David Mendizábal told WJTV News. "And this show brings that.”

It also brings the promise of a better life for hard-working immigrants. Sonny, Usnavi's young cousin, plans to make money, come back, and invest in his neighborhood: "I'll never sleep because the ghetto has a million promises for me to keep.” More than one of every three New Yorkers is an immigrant, or roughly 3.1 million people in a city of almost 8.5 million, writes demographer Nancy Foner. In the Heights is for them—and for us.

In the Heights runs through November 15 at New York City Center.

CREDITS, IN THE HEIGHTS

Music and Lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda
Book by Quiara Alegría Hudes
Conceived by Lin-Manuel Miranda
Arrangements and Orchestrations by Alex Lacamoire and Bill Sherman
Scenic Designer Riw Rakkulchon 
Costume Designer Dede Ayite 
Lighting Designer Justin Townsend 
Sound Designer Alex Neumann
Production Stage Manager Cynthia Cahill 
Music Coordinator Kimberlee Wertz
Casting The Telsey Office 
Choreographer Mayte Natalio
Music Director Alejandro Senior
Director David Mendizábal

Featuring Natalie Venetia Belcon, Jaci Calderon, Ashley De La Rosa, Linedy Genao, Ishmael Gonzalez, Ivan Hernandez, Cedric Leiba Jr, Matte Martinez, Aaron James McKenzie, Ilia Isorelýs Paulino, Veronica Vazquez-Jackson 

With Ixchel Cuellar, Adriel Flete, Amanda K. Lopez, Kate Louissaint, Ángel Lozada, Yani Marin, Alora Tonielle Martinez, Bianca Leticia Medina, Sael Antonio Nuñez, Cristian "Chino" Rodriguez, Kiki Rodriguez, SeQuoiia, Michael Anthony Sylvester, Ricardo A. Zayas