In the Heights tells the universal story of a vibrant community in New York’s Washington Heights neighborhood – a place where the coffee from the corner bodega is light and sweet, the windows are always open and the breeze carries the rhythm of three generations of music. It’s a community on the brink of change, full of hopes, dreams, and pressures, where the biggest struggles can be deciding which traditions you take with you, and which ones you leave behind.

 

The story explores three days in the characters’ lives in the New York City Latino neighborhood of Washington Heights. The score features hip-hop, street jazz, salsa, merengue, and soul music.

 

In the Hispanic community of Manhattan’s Washington Heights, bodega owner, Usnavi, crushes on Vanessa, who works in a beauty salon. He dreams of leaving the barrio to open a bar in his home country, the Dominican Republic. Nina Rosario falls in love with a shy young man, Benny, who has worked for Nina’s parents for years, but her father strongly opposes their union because he wants Nina to finish her education at Stanford University. “Abuela” Claudia, who raised Usnavi after the death of his parents and whom the community loves and respects, wins $96,000 from a lottery ticket. This significant amount of money has the ability to bring huge changes in Usnavi’s future. With everyone setting their sights on leaving the barrio, IN THE HEIGHTS emphasizes the importance of family, community, and remembering where you came from.

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Directed/Produced By: Michelle Velastegui

Choreography By: Alisha Clark

Assistant Choreography By: Jordan Hayes, Shania Thorpe, Juwante Vaughan

Musical Director: Jim Hammerly

Musical Director (ensemble): Sara Preast

Stage Manager: Maria Hayden

Lighting Design: Kaleb Lindevaldsen

Projection Design: Aaron Hall

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