WHERE ELSE?
A New York Story
Tony winner In the Heights was
penned by Jewish Latina.
EAT. DRINK. SMOKE.
Suzanne Chessler
Special to the Jewish News
uiara Alegria Hudes, who
wrote the book for the musi-
cal In the Heights, tells about
watching the play anonymously and
sitting next to an elderly Jewish man.
"After the song (Paciencia y Fe, he
tapped me on the shoulder, with tears
in his eyes, and said,`That's my nana:
Bless him for sharing that with me:'
The playwright, whose dad is Jewish
and of Romanian descent and whose
mom is Puerto Rican, brings her fam-
ily's values of respect for elders and a
deeply entrenched love for theater to
the show, which captures the experi-
ences and sentiments of the Latino
community in the Washington Heights
section of New York.
The show, running Feb. 1-13 at the
Fisher Theatre, recalls a neighborhood
populated in waves by many immi-
grant groups, including Jews, arriving
in the 1920s and dominating the area
in the 1940s and 1950s.
"We took a nod from Fiddler on the
Roof and thought about what hap-
pens after Tevye arrives in the United
States," Hudes days. "That was our little
thought experiment so the musical rep-
resents arrival, being first generation
and taking the good with the bad.
"In New York, the highs and lows
are particularly dramatic — over-
crowding, high prices, the rat race and
the high-energy blend of cultures."
Hudes, twice a Pulitzer Prize final-
ist for drama (Elliot, A Soldier's Fugue
and In the Heights), is a Tony nominee
for the musical. She has written the
plays 26 Miles and Barrio Grrrl! as well
as the picture book Welcome to My
Neighborhood.
The playwright, raised in
Philadelphia, holds a Joyce Foundation
Award, a Lucille Lortel Award and an
Outer Critics Circle Award.
In the Heights, winner of four 2008
Tony Awards and the 2008 Grammy
Award for Best Musical Show Album,
was conceived by Lin-Manuel
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Quiara Alegria Hudes
Miranda, who wrote the music and lyr-
ics for the play that ultimately focuses
on decisions about traditions — which
to keep and which to leave behind.
Jeffrey Seller, who grew up in Oak
Park and was a member of Temple
Israel, is a producer.
"I had a journey with each of the
characters, and their rhythms are all
in me now',' says Hudes, completing
a trilogy of plays that started with
Elliot, A Soldier's Fugue and moved on
to Water By the Spoonful, which deals
with addiction and recovery.
"I like that In the Heights has a
sense of humor and uses a light touch
to deal with difficult themes. The play
represents one bag of tricks in my
growing tool belt."
Before this musical, Hudes had
worked with more experimental the-
ater.
"I thought that it was time to tackle
traditional structure so I did my
homework and thought a lot about
craft:' she says. "It will always be nice
to say I've written a straight-ahead
Broadway musical.
"In the Heights gives me freedom to
branch out and try different tools and
tricks next time, which I'm already
doing. There are coals in the fire for
writing with Jewish content. That's a
few years down the road, but it will be
good." 11
In the Heights runs Feb.1-13 at the Fisher Theatre in Detroit.
Performances are 8 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays, 2 p.m. Saturdays and
Sundays and 7:30 p.m. Sundays. $34-$84. (313) 872-1000;
www.BroadwayinDetroit.com .
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