When You're Home

IN THE HEIGHTS!

So I did not plan on seeing In The Height during my stay in NYC but I decided to stop by the box office on Sunday afternoon just to see if they had any discount tickets for sale. At first they said all they had at $58 tickets for back of the balcony. I asked to see if there were any other discounts available and they said they could to $48!!! I said SOLD! I seat front row in the balcony section but to me it was the best seat in the house and for one of the best shows on Broadway!

As soon as I got my ticket this sense of excitement over came me. I knew I loved the musical from listening to the soundtrack non-stop, but I had no idea how I would react to seeing the show live in front of me. As soon as the show started, I felt a strong emotional connection to the piece. I felt proud to be a Latin American and fan of the arts for the 1st time in my life. Back home there are very few Latinos who have a love of theatre. I always felt like an outcast within the theatre community but this show is proof that I can be Latino and have a voice in the arts. The other connection I felt with the show was coming to terms with who you are when your parents/grandparents came from another country for you to have a better life and feeling an obligation to make them proud. One of the themes of In The Heights is the finding the meaning of "Home". The lyrics in When You're Home put into words the feeling I have always had about my Mexican roots.

"When I was younger I'd imagine what would happen if my parents had stayed in Puerto Rico
Who would I be if I had never seen Manhattan
If I lived in Puerto Rico with my people?
My people...
I feel like all my life I've tried to find the answer
Working harder, learning Spanish, learning all I can
I thought I might find the answers out at Stanford
But I'd stare out at the sea
Thinking, Where am I supposed to be?
So please don't say you're proud of me, when I've lost my way" - When You're Home

The cast featured three of the original cast ANDRéA BURNS as Daniela, PRISCILLA LOPEZ as Camila and ELISEO ROMAN as Piragua Guy. Each of them blew my mind and are so talented. New comer's CORBIN BLEU as Usnavi and DAVID DEL RIO as Sonny brought new things to their characters that I loved. I was worried about seeing anyone else play Usnavi other than Lin but Corbin did a great job at respecting the character Lin created on stage and on paper. Overall this cast on Broadway is a 15 out of 10!!!

If you can not make it to Broadway to see this amazing cast do not worry, In The Heights is currently on a national tour with two stops in Southern California at the Pantages Theatre June 22nd- July 11th and the Orange Country Performance Center August 3rd-15th.

Please, please, please see this show! Even if you are not a Latin I promise you will find something in this show to connect with and that you will love. If you are unsure if you will like the show check out the PBS special on the making of the show. CLICK HERE

"When You're Home" Song from In The Heights