Lights Up: A Review of "In The Heights"

Preceding Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton: An American Musical comes In the Heights, a musical Miranda drafted during his sophomore year of college. This musical follows the busy life of residents living in Washington Heights, many of whom are second-generation immigrants whose family emigrated from South America, more specifically from Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, and Cuba. In the Heights won many awards throughout the years, including thirteen Tony Awards, Best Musical, Best Original Score, Best Choreography, and Best Orchestrations. After multiple introductions at different theaters, the show finally made its Broadway debut in 2008.

In the Heights brings to life the premature pressure put on high school graduates to set a legacy for themselves, especially preceding a large change in their life, as well as the stereotypes and obstacles that stand in their way. It explains the sacrifices that come with a miracle. A Stanford student searches for herself in California, before realizing that her home is in Washington Heights with her people. A young woman moves to downtown Manhattan, which is only a little ways out on the eight train, but makes all the difference to a hopeful citizen desperate to change her life for the better. A young man aspires to raise his neighborhood out of poverty and establish a good reputation for his race as a businessman. A coffee shop owner is gifted with a miracle: the choice to leave Washington Heights behind and move back home to the Dominican Republic for a better job and ultimately a better life. Encompassing these larger-than-life characters is the everlasting pressure to be remembered and most importantly, to find their way home, wherever that may be.

One aspect that makes In the Heights stand out is its mixture of English and Spanish. Listening to the soundtrack with bits of Spanish in it seemed out of place at first, like a pebble in your shoe that you just can’t shake out or the little pieces of lint on your blanket after it comes out of the laundry. Thankfully, the language difference is not so drastic that you need to be absolutely fluent in Spanish to understand the entire storyline - there are just a few phrases. It was only after listening to the soundtrack over and over again that I realized the difference in language is needed in order to set the stage and to highlight the eternal struggle to find their identity - are you a Latin American or a New Yorker?

In the Heights was first introduced to me by Jeffrey ‘17, an avid follower of Broadway musicals amongst other things. When asked for an opinion for the article, he promptly started humming the melody to the opening theme. It might not be the best soundtrack anyone has ever heard of compared to today’s top hits, but I often found myself listening to it in the car on my way to revisit days. In summary, if you’re interested in Latin American music, catchy tunes, and sick rhymes, In The Heights is just for you!

Madeline ‘17

Edited by Derek ‘17