“In the Heights” is a beautiful musical that tells the story of individuals living with a minority immigrant community.
It shows the systematic racism of being Dominican in the neighborhood of Washington Heights, New York City.
The writer of “In the Heights”, Lin Manuel Miranda, once
Not only is the story beautiful, but it also stays authentic to casting. The entire cast of “In the Heights” is in the Latino community.
It also has stayed true to the Latino Culture with dance and music. Many parts of the lyrics switch from English to Spanish throughout the performance.
One review from Variety by David Rooney stated, “What makes ‘In the Heights’ so unique, however, is that driving pulse of its Latin- American rhythms, blending hip-hop, rap, jazz, pop, salsa, and merengue, this buoyant musical also nods reverently to the traditions of the show…”
The importance of authenticity in a Broadway show is incredibly important, especially when the story is centered around race.
This Musical showed the significance of diversity and representation, and I hope to see more like this in Broadway’s future years.