My old high school, Dakota High School in Macomb Twp, MI, always puts on great shows. Their production of Lin Manuel-Miranda's "In the Heights" was no exception. The theater department had the opportunity to rent the set of the Broadway and touring set, which added to the heightened level of performance of the students. These students are not professionals, but you would never know it.
The story of "In the Heights" is described as "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" by the Rodgers & Hammerstein licensing company.
The score of "In the Heights" is no easy feat. For one, the main character, Usnavi, raps most of his lines - a departure from the usual sung-through style of musicals. Another challenge is the Spanish language that is incorporated into the script. Washington Heights is portrayed as a largely Hispanic neighborhood, which means that most of the characters are familiar with Spanish.
The cast did a phenomenal job mastering the style of music and language. I have never seen a stronger cast at my high school. The play allows for almost every character to have a solo and prove their talent. Not once did I hear a performer off pitch or struggle to reach their notes. It was clear that everyone had tremendous talent and was committed to their character. The acting, vocals, and dancing were amazing. When my grandmother and I left the school that night, we could not stop gushing about the talent. We had simply never seen such a high level of talent from the student cast, crew, and orchestra - and we have always been avid theatergoers. We generally see one or two professional shows downtown a year.
With that being said, I do have some social commentary about the nature of the show and how important ethnicity usually is to "In the Heights." Lin Manuel-Miranda has been very outspoken about people of color (POC) representation in theater, which is why he created "In the Heights" and "Hamilton." Dakota High School does not have a large POC population and is has an even smaller POC population in the theater department. I was initially worried about how the school would portray the story respectfully, but I believe it was handled properly. As I mentioned, the actors seemed very focused and committed to portraying their characters as accurately as possible, including becoming comfortable with the language without inappropriately portraying their characters.
This does open up a discussion about what is appropriate and what is not when picking a piece of theater for high schools or community theater. Generally, you scope out what kind of people will participate in the productions and cast accordingly, especially if shows are tagged as "specific minority casting" as the Rodgers & Hammerstein licensing company does for "In the Heights."
You would not put on a production of "Hairspray" or "A Raisin in the Sun" if you could not cast enough characters that fit the qualifications of the plays. High schools are generally more lenient in picking and casting characters, whereas professional companies are usually obligated to cast as per the original intentions of plays. I think it is worth thinking about as we move ahead and more productions are becoming available for licensing and are more aware of stereotypes and whitewashing.
For more on "In the Heights" visit these links:
Details of the show and awards won: linmanuel | In The Heights
A behind the scenes video: In The Heights . . . Our Home on Broadway
You can also listen to the "In The Heights (Original Cast Recording)" on Spotify or purchase/stream it at Amazon.com.
