In The Heights, Lin-Manuel Miranda’s “musical valentine to the barrio… is a singing mural of Latin-American life that often has the inspiring flavor of a morning pick-me-up on a warm summer day” (Isherwood, NYT). We see a street corner of Latin owned businesses and the people who live and work in Washington Heights. We see the triumphs and the struggles of this community. Though it doesn’t make an outright  statement about the racial injustice in New York City, it is mentioned subtly in Nina not fitting in at Stanford, in their fear for safety during the blackout, in Daniela and Carla moving to the Bronx and many other small moments. Some that may not even occur to those who haven’t lived it. 

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The story “run[s] in grooves derived equally from Broadway formulas and the new power-pop idioms … The title song, for instance, is among the most galvanizing opening numbers in recent Broadway memory, as Usnavi gives the audience a guided tour, in briskly flowing rap, of the troubles that nip at the heels and the hopes that feed the imaginations of the neighborhood’s inhabitants” (Isherwood, NYT). Miranda mimicked the musical structure of those who came before him, those he looked up to; Jonathan Larson, Stephen Sondheim and Cole Porter (who he even name drops in the opening number!). He understands the power of the ‘I Want’ song, making the first half of the act almost entirely about the hopes and dreams of each character. Nina with “Breathe”, Vanessa with “It won’t be Long Now”, Abuela Claudia with “Paciencia y Fe” and everyone else on “96,000”. We get two intertwined love stories of Nina and Benny, and Vanessa and Usnavi, ebbing and flowing with the story and facing challenges in how their dreams and aspirations affect their relationships. What really stands out in his music is his big group numbers and how they create an energetic scene for the audience to stay engaged but also develop and move the story forward, particularly “The Club/Blackout” at the end of act I and “Carnaval del Barrio” as the 11 o’clock number in act II.

It took Miranda 7 years to write this musical, 4 of which included a book writer. Though many would say the book is weak, the music and the way the musical is structured is what makes it so cohesive. The attention to detail by Miranda in learning from his idols is what helped this show be so successful, and later Hamilton. “Still, the emotional heart of the show is the ambivalence most of the characters feel about their neighborhood — and their lives — and this uncertainty is given powerful expression in Mr. Miranda’s songs” (Isherwood, NYT).