Last weekend, a few friends and I watched the In The Heights movie. A couple of us had seen the movie before as we are fans of the musical, but the rest of the group went in blind. The late-night viewing began with a dance party, and ended with all of us in tears. I immediately knew I would be blogging about it the next chance I got.

In The Heights is a musical by Lin Manuel Miranda. In proper Lin Manuel Miranda style, he starred as the main character Usnavi in the original off-Broadway production which transferred to Broadway in 2008. The musical was adapted into a film in 2021, starring Anthony Ramos (John Laurens/Phillip in the original Broadway cast of Hamilton) as Usnavi with Lin Manuel Miranda as the background character of the Piragua guy. The cast overall is phenomenal, with both seasoned performers and new musical talent. It is a popular opinion that this film adaptation is one of the best stage-to-screen adaptations out there, and I strongly agree. It combines a grounded story with fantastical elements that are often present in musical theater to synthesize a brand-new experience of this important story.

The show and film follow mostly the same plot, with slight changes to the characters and some lyrics. The plot centers around a community in Washington Heights, NYC, which is predominantly Dominican. The climax of the plot occurs when a blackout during the hottest day of the summer takes out the power across the city.  SPOILER-FREE summary: Usnavi wants to go back to the Dominican Republic, while Vanessa (his love interest) wants to move out of Washington Heights and pursue fashion design. Like Usnavi says in the song “It Won’t Be Long Now,”

“I’m running to make it home and home’s where Vanessa is running away from.”

Next, Nina is home from Stanford where she dropped out due to the isolation she felt as a first-generation student.  Her father is struggling to financially support her, which causes him to make some decisions that ultimately affect Nina’s decisions regarding her education. Benny is Nina’s love interest who works for Nina’s father and he basically just wants to be a businessman. Sonny, Usnavi’s younger cousin, is an undocumented immigrant who does not think he has many options other than continuing to work for Usnavi at his bodega. Daniela and Carla own a salon and provide comedic relief as they bring the community together during the blackout. Last but not least, Abuela Claudia is essentially the matriarch of the community who has a strong impact on everyone’s story, especially when Usnavi finds out that his bodega sold a winning lottery ticket for $96,000.

The music in the show is phenomenal. My personal favorites include “Breathe” in which Nina laments her decision to go to Stanford, “96,000” when the barrio finds out about the lottery ticket and shares what they would do with the money, the powerful “Paciencia y Fe” which is Abuela Claudia’s big number, and “Carnaval Del Barrio” where Daniela and Carla bring everyone together during the blackout. There are strong themes throughout the show, such as the importance of real family and chosen family, effects of generational trauma, and the dangers of gentrification. In The Heights also incorporates several motifs better than any show I’ve seen before. There are musical motifs that define each character, such as Abuela Claudia’s saying “Paciencia y Fe” and Nina’s “Just Breathe.” Recurring elements such as Abuela’s embroidered napkins given to her by her mother, the lottery ticket, and the unassuming graffiti Pete. The overlapping of each characters’ story is masterfully executed, and when they all come together for a dinner the night before the blackout, it truly feels like the audience is joining one big family dinner.