In The Heights Tickets | Schedule for 2024/2025 Events

In The Heights

In The Heights is a musical set in the Dominican American neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, NYC. It has the concept, lyrics, and music by Lin-Manuel Miranda and a book by Quiara Alegría Hudes. The musical premiered a tryout in 2005 in the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center, Connecticut. It then opened on Off-Broadway in 2007 and on Broadway in 2008.

The Off-Broadway version was nominated in nine categories at the Drama Desk Awards and won two - Outstanding Ensemble Performance and Outstanding Choreography in 2007. The musical was nominated in thirteen categories at the Tony Awards and won four categories, including Best Musical in 2008.

It also won the Best Musical Show Album at Grammy Awards the same year. In The Heights was also a Finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 2009. It was presented at the West End in 2015 and collected three awards at the Laurence Olivier Awards in 2016.

Musical Numbers, Characters, and More

In The Heights is divided into two acts, with fourteen songs in the first and twelve in the second. It has twelve major characters, where Usnavi de la Vega is the narrator and the owner of a tiny bodega (convenience store) in Washington Heights. The songwriter played this role in the original versions of the musical at Off-Broadway and Broadway in 2007 and 2008.

The musical deals with the lives of the residents in Washington Heights when New York City is hovering on the brink of change. Issues like changing economy (increasing rents, closing of neighborhood small businesses, etc.), family struggles in saving enough money for school and college fees, and Usnavi’s struggle to try and connect with his Dominican roots are the core focus of the musical. In the Heights also tackles topics like love, racism, identity, lust, and more.

In The Heights was made into a film with the same title. It was released in 2021 and starred Anthony Ramos, Leslie Grace, Melissa Barrera, and Corey Hawkins in the main roles and Jon M. Chu as the director. The first talk about adapting the musical into a film was in 2008 when Universal Pictures announced that it had acquired the rights. After many delays and changing decisions, the film adaptation hit the screens on 10th June 2021.

The use of hip-hop lyrics and Latin rhythm makes the musical a wonderful experience.