Editor’s note: Arachnophonia (“Arachno” = spider / “-phonia” = sound) is a regular feature on our blog where members of the UR community can share their thoughts about resources from the Parsons Music Library‘s collection.
All links included in these posts will take you to either the library catalog record(s) for the item(s) in question or to additional relevant information from around the web.
Today’s installment of Arachnophonia is by student manager Eliana (class of 2024) and features the musical In The Heights. Thanks, Eliana!
Before the critically acclaimed film of the same name, In the Heights had a 3-year run on Broadway. In that time, it was nominated for 13 Tony Awards and won 4.
The musical, written by and starring Lin-Manuel Miranda, centers on a group of Dominican American young adults living in Washington Heights, NYC.
The story centers around Usnavi, a young bodega owner with the dream of returning home to the Dominican Republic. It’s summertime, so his neighbor Nina comes back from Stanford University with the unsettling news that she’s feeling out of place and wants to drop out, in turn disappointing her family. To make things even worse, things aren’t going great with Vanessa, the object of Usnavi’s affection. When there’s a city-wide blackout, chaos ensues.
The score features upbeat, energetic songs like “96,000,” “Blackout,” and “In the Heights” and slower, emotional numbers like “Breathe” and “It Won’t Be Long Now,” providing a myriad of entertainment for all types of listeners.
You can check out both the score and original Broadway cast recording here at Parsons Music Library!
