History Theatre / InTheHeights

* EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep: Piragua Guy and Graffiti Pete are rarely referred to by actual names; in Piragua Guy's case, he is actually never referred to by any name.

* SecondEpisodeIntroduction: Nina doesn't appear in the opening number and first appears in the second song, Breathe.

Miranda wrote the first draft of ''In the Heights'' while at college, and upon playing an 80-minute one-act version of it at his college's theater company, he was approached with the opportunity to expand the play to a Broadway production. Notable for being the first Broadway musical of its kind, a combination of R&B, hip-hop and Latin music, the play was nominated for 13 Tony Awards, winning four (including Best Musical), and kickstarted Miranda's career.

[[Film/InTheHeights A movie adaptation of the play]] was released on June 11, 2021 in theaters and on Creator/HBOMax after a laborious production, fluctuating in and out of DevelopmentHell for over a decade, as the adaptation rights were acquired in 2008. Creator/JonMChu directed the adaptation, and Anthony Ramos stars as Usnavi; Lin-Manuel Miranda and Olga Merediz respectively portray Piragua Guy and Abuela Claudia.

* CallingTheYoungManOut: The second half of "Enough" is this, with Camila calling out Nina for not returning home during the blackout and previously hiding that she had dropped out after losing her scholarship, since Camila and her father have worked so hard to help her.

* CastingGag: The film has Creator/LinManuelMiranda and Creator/ChrisJackson as rivals Piragua Guy and Mr. Softee respectively. They played Usnavi and Benny respectively in the OBC.

''Hey y’all, good morning''"

So begins the first song in Creator/LinManuelMiranda's 2008 Broadway hit. Set in the neighborhood Washington Heights of NYC, ''In the Heights'' is a musical covering three days in the lives of its colorful characters around Independence Day. Usnavi, the main character, runs his family's bodega with his young cousin, Sonny, and pines for the affection of the ambitious Vanessa, who wants to work her way out of the Heights. At the same time, Nina Rosario has returned to the Heights from Stanford University after dropping out and struggles to break the news to her working class parents despite the encouragement of Usnavi's best friend, Benny. Both of these plotlines play out while the economic conditions of the neighbourhood worsen and, as luck would have it, someone in the barrio has won 96,000 dollars from the lottery.

''In the Heights'' is especially notable for being the first Broadway musical of its kind, a combination of R&B, hip-hop and Latin music. Its unique sound won it four Tony Awards and kickstarted Miranda's career.

[[Film/InTheHeights The movie adaptation]] fluctuated in and out of DevelopmentHell for years, before finally premiering on June 11, 2021 in theaters and on Creator/HBOMax. Creator/JonMChu directed it, and Anthony Ramos stars as Usnavi; Broadway alumni Lin-Manuel Miranda and Olga Merediz respectively portray Piragua Guy and Abuela Claudia. [[https://youtu.be/U0CL-ZSuCrQ Trailer 1]], [[https://youtu.be/FlY-HzJ0kno "Washington Heights" Trailer]], [[https://youtu.be/lCYrqpng9QA "Powerful" Trailer]].

[[caption-width-right:300:Paciencia y Fe everybody!]]

* VictoriousChildhoodFriend: Inferred about Usnavi/Vanessa and Nina/Benny.

* AdultFear:
** The blackout. Suddenly being plunged into darkness in the middle of a crowded club full of drunk people is already pretty scary, as everyone tries to find their friends. Then you see Nina's parents scrambling to find her, and unable to reach her because all the phone lines are down. And for people like Sonny and Usnavi, who have businesses that would be easy pickings for looters and robbers, it is utterly ''terrifying''.
** [[spoiler:Abuela Claudia's death]]. Usnavi is crying as he explains [[spoiler:she died from the shock of winning the lottery and failing to take her medicine. He can't understand why she refused to take care of herself]].

-->'''Usnavi''': It's [[Theatre/KissMeKate too darn hot]] like my man Music/ColePorter said

-->--'''Usnavi'''

-> ''Lights up on Washington Heights, up at the break of day''
-> ''I wake up and I got this little punk I gotta chase away''
-> ''Pop the grate at the crack of dawn''
-> ''Sing while I wipe down the awning''
-> ''Hey y’all, good morning''

* GenreRoulette: Par for the course of Lin-Manuel Miranda's shows, the score is primarily rap and hip-hop, with a healthy dose of various Latin styles, mostly ''flamenco''. It may also be the first Broadway show to feature ''reggaeton'', of all things.

** Some [[YiddishAsASecondLanguage Gratuitous Hebrew]] thrown in for comic effect (Well, it is [[YouHaveToHaveJews New York]]):

* MixedAncestry: Carla.
-->''"My mom is Dominican-Cuban/My dad is from Chile and P.R. which means/I'm Chile-Domini-Curican/But I always say I'm from Queens!"''

--->'''Claudia:''' ''And ay Mamá,what do you do when your dreams come true?\\

* KissingInATree: In the song "Carnaval Del Barrio" in Act 2, Daniela asks Benny if he's "seen any horses, today", having heard that [[spoiler: he and Nina "went for a roll in the hay". The whole cast then proceeds to sing said song.]]

and Mr. Softee's truck as '''broken down!'''\\

* GrassIsGreener: Usnavi mentions his parents immigrated with him from the Dominican Republic to give him a better life. He wants to return to the Dominican Republic to find out who he is, and where is his home.

** "No pare, sigue sigue!" meaning "Don't stop, continue, continue!" which gets encourages the two main characters, Usnavi and Nina, in "Hundreds of Stories" and "When You're Home" respectively. [[note]]Also used for comedic effect in "It Won't Be Long Now", during Usnavi's brief [[IAmGreatSong victory rap]] after Sonny asks Vanessa out for him.[[/note]]

* ChekhovsGun: In Act I, Usnavi reminds Abuela Claudia to take her heart medication; in Act II, not taking her medicine, the heat, and [[spoiler: the shock of winning the lottery all contribute to her death]]