'In the Heights' Brings Latino Flavor to Broadway

Mix a little hip-hop, salsa, merengue, dancehall reggae and reggaeton with a side of hip shaking, foot stomping and head bopping, serve it on a Broadway platter and what do you get? "In the Heights," a musical about three days in Washington Heights, a predominantly Latino and Black neighborhood in upper Manhattan.

The first musical by a Latino about Latinos, it was nominated for 13 Tony Awards and won the 2008 Tony for Best Musical.

Set in the present, "In the Heights" shows the dynamics and culture of this Latino and Black neighborhood and the influences that stem from that mixture. Theatergoers used to traditional revivals and shows about the past embraced "In The Heights" when it debuted off-Broadway at 37 Arts Theatre. After 200 performances, it moved to Broadway, debuting on Valentine's Day of this year at Richard Rogers Theatre.

Lin-Manuel Miranda came up with the original story idea, composed the music and lyrics and stars in the show. He won the 2008 Tony Award for Best Original Score, and says seeing "The Phantom of the Opera" when he was younger motivated him to pursue a career in theater. "When I was little I wanted to be Steven Spielberg when I grew up," Miranda said in an interview posted on YouTube.

Seeing "Rent" inspired him to write "In the Heights" with Quiara Alegria Hudes, who wrote the book. "[After seeing 'Rent'] I thought, oh, you can write about now, you can write about what you know."

What he knew was his Latino culture, rich in traditions, foods, music and familia. While still attending Wesleyan University, Miranda began creating "In the Heights." Influenced by the combination of music, dance and lyrics from the first musical about Puerto Ricans, "West Side Story," Miranda knew he didn't want to feed into the stereotypes.

"I think 'West Side Story' is our greatest gift and our greatest curse. On one hand, it created so many job opportunities for Latinos and got our foot in the door. There was no other musical about Puerto Ricans until that and it's great that we're part of a masterpiece and it really is a masterpiece," Miranda said. "But at the same time, we have to evolve and we have to change. Those were street gangs in Hell's Kitchen in the 50s. What else can we be? That's what I feel like my job was.  

"You can't stop," he said. "You have to keep doing what it is that you're passionate about. And that will find itself in you."