In the Heights

Winner of the 2008 Tony Award for Best Musical, In the Heights takes a snapshot of life in the predominantly Dominican neighborhood of Washington Heights in upper Manhattan, New York City. The musical tells the story of immigrants from the Spanish-speaking Caribbean and the sacrifices made in the hope of a better life in the United States.

In the Heights was created in 1999, when Lin-Manuel Miranda, who wrote the music and lyrics, was a sophomore at Wesleyan University. The musical has autobiographical elements: The son of Puerto Ricans who moved to New York City, Miranda was raised in Upper Manhattan. He attended the prestigious Hunter College High School before moving on to Wesleyan. After an on-campus production, In the Heights attracted the attention of schoolmates, including Thomas Kail and John Buffalo Mailer (the son of Norman Mailer). The play was next presented at the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center in Waterford, Connecticut, in 2005. It ran Off-Broadway in 2007 before moving to the Richard Rodgers Theater in March 2008; it played 29 previews and 1,185 performances before ending its run.

The story takes place on the Fourth of July weekend. The protagonist, Usnavi (named after a naval vessel his parents saw upon their arrival in the United States), is the owner of the local bodega (corner store), a gathering space where everyone stops for coffee in the morning on their way to work. Born in the Dominican Republic, he and his brother were raised in New York by Abuela Claudia, the Cuban-born matriarch of the neighborhood. Struggling to keep his business afloat, Unsavi yearns to return to the island of his birth. He also longs for Vanessa, a hairstylist who dreams of moving to the West Village. Vanessa works for Daniela, owner of a hair salon who can no longer afford the rent in the neighborhood and who ultimately moves her business to the Bronx.

The Rosario family lives in the neighborhood: Nina returns from her first year at Stanford University, a first-generation college student. Her parents, originally from Puerto Rico, own a local taxi dispatch and labor to keep it profitable as they sacrifice to pay for her tuition. Overwhelmed by the cultural differences and affluence of many of her classmates, she contemplates leaving school permanently, only to decide to return. Over the weekend, she falls in love with Benny, a young black man who works for her parents; when they discover the relationship, the Rosarios vow to never accept him. Abuela Claudia dies, leaving an inheritance for Usnavi; though he wants to return to the Dominican Republic, he ultimately decides that his home is in the Heights.

Though there are inevitable comparisons to West Side Story (1957, the most successful Broadway musical to feature Latino characters), in interviews Miranda cites Fiddler on the Roof (1964), Rent (1996), and The Capeman (1998) as inspirations as well. For him, the story focuses on questions of home and traditions within a contemporary context. Featuring rap, salsa, merengue, and bachata, the musical updates the mythic tale of the immigrant searching for the American Dream.

...