How "In The Heights" Gave Me the Chance to See Myself on a Screen for the First Time
I will never forget the night I saw In The Heights win the Tony Award for Best Musical in 2008. As a long-time musical lover, I was already obsessed with Broadway — even if the only "dream roles" I saw for myself were Maria or Anita in West Side Story. They were and still are important characters for Latina representation, but since the story takes place in the 1950s, I could never fully connect with them.
So when Lin-Manuel Miranda and the entire cast and crew of In The Heights walked on stage to accept the award with salsa music playing behind them, it didn't feel real. Here was a show with music that my parents listened to on the weekends being recognized for being proudly Latinx, starring Latinx stars who made their Broadway dreams come true in something new and contemporary. Then, that same night, the cast performed "96,000.” In that moment, I saw a stage set that looked like the streets outside of my windows, and characters that looked like me and my neighbors.
Although I grew up a quick bus ride away from New York City, I couldn’t afford a ticket to see the show live throughout its Broadway run. But the cast album gave me a chance to experience the show without actually being in a theater. Now, with the movie's big release, me and so many other people can finally watch ourselves on screen for the first time.
Especially in the songs "Breathe" and "When You're Home,” with lines like, "When I was younger I'd imagine what would happen if my parents had stayed in Puerto Rico?" These words understood exactly how I felt as a first-generation Latina who was getting ready to do whatever it took to go college. It was a common question that many Latinx kids asked themselves, especially if we go back to visit our families back in the motherland. But it was never something that we actually heard someone say in a movie, musical, or TV show. Hearing it for the first time made me feel like I wasn't alone and also allowed me to shed the guilt I had for feeling a certain way.
For years, I’ve tried to find any common experience with on-screen characters because there wasn't anyone who looked like me or lived a life like mine. At last, these songs allowed me to finally connect with someone in media that was actually just like me.
And the list goes on. I see my father in Nina's dad, Kevin, who only hopes to provide for his family, regardless of the sacrifices. I see my sister in Vanessa, someone who dreams big and is on track to make it all happen. I see my mom in Abuela Claudia, who had to give up so much just to make things work in a new place with a new language and new expectations. As for the other characters? They come through with many other people in my life — my neighbors, family, the guy who runs the bodega in the corner. It's all our stories.
Broadway has always been a very white-centered branch of the industry. In The Heights broke down some of those barriers by simply existing in that world. Back in September 2020, years after watching In the Heights accept their Tony Award, my submission to a New York Times reader question about musicals was chosen to be published. In it, I wrote about how much In The Heights meant to me thanks to its representation and Lin-Manuel Miranda responded on Twitter writing, "I couldn't see us either. That's why we wrote it. This means the world, thank you." Unfortunately, it's a privilege to be able to afford a ticket to a Broadway show. One many don’t have.
I couldn't see us either. That's why we wrote it. This means the world, thank you 😭
— Lin-Manuel Miranda (@Lin_Manuel) September 10, 2020
Now, anyone anywhere has the chance to experience In The Heights with the price of a movie ticket or a subscription to HBO Max, meaning more people can watch it. Not only that, but the show's original intended audience, Latinos from barrios like Washington Heights, will finally see themselves on the big screen.
Hopefully, this is just the beginning. The more people that turn out to watch it, the better. With the immense power that viewers have to tune in and support a film like this, the possibilities for more representation like what we see In The Heights would be endless. And Hollywood better be listening, because we're not going anywhere. Finally, it's time for everyone else to listen and see us on their screen.
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