In The Heights

This past Wednesday evening I found myself at the Clemens Center to see the off-Broadway show, "In the Heights." The Clemens Center is a beautiful theater in downtown Elmira. I like to think that the Clemens Center as a little taste of Broadway in my backyard. This was the second time watching a performance at the Clemens Center, and I'm sure it's not the last. Elmira's local theatre has brought shows such as "Peter Pan" starring Cathy Rigby (2011-2012 Season) and as well as Elton John and Tim Rice's AIDA (2006-2007 Season).



In 2008, "In The Heights" was nominated for four different Tony Awards. The musical won all four of these Tony Awards for Best Musical, Best Score, Best Choreography, and Best Orchestrations. Lin-Manuel Miranda wrote the music and lyrics of "In the Heights" in a rap music style, which differs from many mainstream musicals. When Miranda received the Tony Award for "Best Score," he rapped his acceptance speech to honor the cast, crew, and his family.


Here is Lin-Manuel Miranda's acceptance speech: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eI6icWf6CB8


I really enjoyed the rap/R&B music style from "In The Heights" since it was very different from other musicals I've seen. Imagine roughly two dozen songs sung kind of like the "Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" theme song, and you get a rough idea of what the music. But these songs had much more depth than Fresh Prince! Some of the themes that emerged from this play revolved around family business bankruptcy, poverty, a lack and surplus of educational opportunities, etc. Through the interaction of these characters, each audience member could see the realities of people living in Washington Heights. This musical was riveting not only through its music and lyrics, but also through the themes that provoke the emotional response of an audience.