In The Heights

Guest post by Adrienne Pulido

“In the Heights” on Broadway is a magical bicultural, bilingual, biflavorful night of great theatre.  You could tell Latinos filled the back rows last Friday night, and it wasn’t just because you could smell our doggy bags from dinner.  It was because we waved our hands to “Pa’arriba esa Bandera,” we cried to “Alabanza Señor”  (tribute to all Abuelas), and we were on our feet for the “I’m Home” Finale.

I had the honor of being accompanied by la líder Becky of Mambo and the infamous Nora Comstock, founder of Las Comadres who promises that she’ll bring the show down to Texas soon.  “In the Heights” is good theatre in any culture, but for a Latino, it hits hard.  The masterful Lin-Manuel Miranda created the show (he’s only 27 years old, chihuahua!); and with it, captured every push & tug of generations of Latinos.  I flashed back so much you’d think I had some bad tequila.  I could swear he knew how much I missed my abuelita, that my mom was that sexy hairdresser, and that I ditched my high school boyfriend (el más chulo) because he skipped-out on college.

We’ve heard it before & it’s true, we Latinos live parallel lives.  “In the Heights” has found the thread that ties us together.  It is a joyful, raucous declaration of what keeps us bound to our roots and to each other.