In the Heights
In the Heights is a musical with concept, music, and lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda and a book by Quiara Alegría Hudes. The story is a romance as well as a celebration of community, culture, and aspirations. It is set over the course of three days, involving characters in the largely Dominican American neighborhood of Washington Heights in Upper Manhattan, New York City. The score blends hip-hop, salsa, merengue, and soul.
After a 2005 tryout in Waterford, Connecticut and a 2007 Off-Broadway run, the show opened on Broadway in March 2008. It was nominated for thirteen Tony Awards and won four, including Best Musical. A film adaptation of the musical was released in June 2021.
Synopsis
Act 1
As the sun rises on the hottest day of the summer, Usnavi de la Vega, the owner of a small bodega in Washington Heights, chases away a small-time vandal, Graffiti Pete, before introducing the audience to the corner he lives on and some of its many residents: Abuela Claudia, an elderly Cuban immigrant who raised Usnavi after the death of his parents; Sonny, Usnavi's younger cousin who works in the bodega; Daniela and Carla, who own the local salon; Kevin and Camila Rosario, a married couple who own the cab company; Benny, Usnavi's longtime best friend and an employee at the cab company; and Vanessa, an employee at the salon and aspiring fashion designer.As the day begins, the Rosarios' daughter, Nina, arrives home from her first year at Stanford University. Often considered the "one who made it out" and the pride of the corner, Nina dreads telling her parents and neighbors the truth of her return home: that she dropped out of Stanford because she had to work two jobs to maintain her tuition, leading to her getting poor grades and losing her scholarship. As she tries to find her parents to tell them the news, she runs into Benny. Clearly harboring latent romantic feelings for one another, Benny and Nina reconnect.
Elsewhere, Vanessa dreams of one day leaving the corner and getting an apartment in the West Village. While she is on a break at the salon, Sonny asks her out on a date on Usnavi's behalf, and she accepts; Usnavi rejoices at his success, as he has been in love with Vanessa for years. However, he worries that Vanessa may forget about him and the rest of the community when she moves.
Nina reunites with her parents and is ultimately forced to reveal that she dropped out. Her parents are stunned at this revelation, as well as her dishonesty. Kevin grows devastated that he has been unable to provide for his family, fearing that he has continued the cycle started by his father, a poor tenant farmer. Nina goes to the salon to seek comfort from Vanessa, but Daniela and Carla insist on giving Nina a makeover and subjecting her to their gossip about the happenings in the neighborhood, specifically regarding Benny and Usnavi. Daniela, Carla, and Vanessa then praise Nina and her successes. Nina reluctantly reveals to them that she dropped out, then leaves exasperatedly..
As Usnavi closes up shop, he, Benny, Sonny, and Graffiti Pete discover that the bodega has sold a winning lottery ticket worth $96,000. The news gets out and the entire block begins to fantasize about what they would do if they had that much money. After the excitement dissipates, Abuela Claudia sits down to feed the birds and reminisces about her childhood in Cuba and her life in relative poverty, and the events that have led her to where she is today. She reveals that she holds the winning lottery ticket, and expresses gratitude for her patience and faith.
Benny comforts Nina by walking with her and discussing their memories of growing up in the neighborhood. Nina expresses her doubts about her own self-worth to Benny, but he reassures her that she is destined for greatness. As they head to Nina's house for dinner, the local piragua merchant pushes his food cart through the neighborhood, but all of his prospective customers would rather buy frozen treats from a nearby Mister Softee truck.
Kevin and Camila host Nina, Benny, Usnavi, Vanessa, and Abuela Claudia for dinner, where Kevin announces that he has sold the car service to pay for Nina's tuition. Nina and Camila are shocked. Benny, who had been dreaming of eventually managing the car service, is outraged and confronts Kevin over his decision. Kevin insists that Rosario's is a family business, and he does not consider Benny to be part of his family. Benny is furious and abruptly leaves. Nina, refusing to accept Kevin's money, follows Benny.
Usnavi soon arrives at a local nightclub for his date with Vanessa, but is overly nervous and aloof. Vanessa begins dancing with other men, aiming to make Usnavi jealous. In response, Usnavi dances with another woman as an attempt to make Vanessa jealous. Nina follows Benny to the club to apologize for Kevin's decision. Benny, already drunk, angrily brushes her off. Tensions rise in the club as the two couples cope with their own jealousy, culminating in Benny punching a man dancing with Nina, causing a fight to break out. Suddenly, the power goes out throughout the city as a result of the intense heat and humidity. The neighborhood descends into chaos as Usnavi and Vanessa, as well as Benny and Nina, desperately try to find their way back to one another. Sonny and Graffiti Pete, fearing looters, set off fireworks to distract potential robbers as well as to light everyone else's way home. Usnavi reunites with Abuela Claudia, who reveals her lottery ticket to him. Benny and Nina find each other amid the chaos, and despite initially arguing, they finally kiss.
Act 2
Kevin spends the night searching for Nina, who is spending the night with Benny in Benny's apartment. Benny worries about whether Kevin will approve of him dating Nina, but is happy to spend time with Nina regardless. Usnavi's bodega has been robbed. Usnavi convenes with Abuela Claudia to discuss what will happen with the money. Abuela Claudia decides to give Sonny and Usnavi each a third of the money and urges Usnavi to use his money to achieve his lifelong dream of returning to his home in the Dominican Republic. While Usnavi shares some doubts, he eventually decides to go. Nina eventually returns home, and discovers her parents have been frantically searching for her. Kevin grows furious when he learns Nina was with Benny and disapproves of their relationship, partially because he wants Nina to date a Latino man, which Benny is not. Nina and Kevin loudly argue before Camila intervenes, criticizing Kevin for throwing Benny out and Nina for not coming home. She urges them to come together and work things out as a family.As the neighborhood copes with their frustration over the heat and blackout, Daniela urges them to dispel the negativity and muster up enough energy for a neighborhood celebration. Daniela leads the crowd in playfully teasing Vanessa for not realizing Usnavi's feelings for her, and Benny for his tryst with Nina the previous night. Usnavi arrives and announces that Abuela Claudia had won the lottery, and that he has booked a flight for the Dominican Republic, which will leave the following day. Vanessa is visibly upset by the news of Usnavi's impending departure. Sonny is upset by that news and the news of Nina's relationship with Benny, as Sonny had a crush on Nina himself. Usnavi calms Sonny down by revealing that he and Abuela Claudia are giving him third of the lottery winnings. Usnavi encourages the neighborhood residents to celebrate before everything changes.
During the celebration, Nina arrives and pulls Usnavi offstage. Kevin makes an announcement over the dispatch: Abuela Claudia has suddenly died. Usnavi holds an impromptu memorial for Abuela Claudia, revealing that she died of "a combination of the stress and heat," and Nina leads the entire block in mourning Abuela Claudia. Afterward, Usnavi and Nina go through Abuela's old photographs to reminisce. Nina begins to remember the central role Abuela Claudia played in her education and motivation, and in memory of Abuela, she resolves to accept her parents' money and give college another try, returning to Stanford at the end of the summer. As Vanessa prepares to move out, Daniela gives her a final piece of news: Usnavi convinced Daniela to cosign Vanessa's lease for her new apartment. As the blackout continues, many neighborhood residents patronize the Piragua Guy, partially because the Mister Softee truck broke down; the Piragua Guy is overjoyed to finally have good business.
Overwhelmed by his kind act, Vanessa visits Usnavi as he cleans up the bodega. She flirts with him and offers him a bottle of champagne. She quietly suggests to him that he should stay in the neighborhood, saying that if he leaves, she will never see him again. Usnavi, overwhelmed, firmly decides to leave. Vanessa kisses him, lamenting that she was too late in realizing her feelings for him. As Nina tells Benny of her decision, they agree to spend the summer together before pursuing a long-distance relationship when she returns to school; Benny reaffirms his faith in her, and they promise to keep contacting each other. Benny confronts Kevin for a final time, insisting that he was always there for him while Kevin never did the same. As the night winds down, Sonny approaches Graffiti Pete with a secret proposition, which Pete accepts.
The next morning, the neighborhood has visibly changed: the car service sign over the Rosarios' building has been removed, and the grate in front of the bodega is still open. As Usnavi listens to Abuela Claudia's old records, he accepts that the neighborhood has changed and wonders if any of his neighbors in Washington Heights will miss him after he leaves. Sonny approaches Usnavi and, having fixed the bodega's grate, pulls it down, revealing a graffiti mural of Abuela Claudia painted by Pete. Seeing the mural, Usnavi has an epiphany and tells Sonny and Pete to inform the neighborhood that he is not leaving. As he reflects on his role as the neighborhood's storyteller, Usnavi ponders a potential future with Vanessa, declares he will commit himself to protecting the legacy of his family, and accepts Washington Heights as his true home.