“I wanted to write the kind of show I would want to be in.”

With that justification in mind, Lin-Manuel Miranda embarked on an unlikely journey to Broadway that began when he was a 19-year-old Wesleyan University student. Even though he wasn’t a theatre major, he applied for and was given access to the student-run ’92 Theater to put up a show over a three-day weekend. This, despite the fact that he only had one song prepared at the time. With his work cut out for him, Miranda went into an obsessive show-writing marathon in which he barely slept or ate. It was during this self-imposed creative spree that IN THE HEIGHTS was born.

“It came at sort of an interesting time,” Miranda said. “I was pretty homesick. It was my sophomore year. My then high school sweetheart was studying abroad. We made it to college and then this was our first significant time apart and I sort of poured all that stuff into this very strange show. Even then I wanted to sound as much like Washington Heights as possible and by that I mean the youth, the Latin music I grew up with, the hip-hop music and try to meld that with musical theatre storytelling.”

His little passion project went on to break school box office records that year. This first taste of success resulted from writing what he knew about. His beloved home at the northern end of Manhattan served as the backdrop and the music that was in constant rotation in his family’s Puerto Rican home provided the soundtrack. He was clearly onto something.

Now 28, Miranda’s perseverance has paid off in a big way: IN THE HEIGHTS opened on Broadway at the Richard Rodgers Theatre last month - with him in the starring role. As Usnavi, the owner of a modest corner bodega in a largely Dominican section of Washington Heights, he serves up café con leche along with neighborly advice to the regulars. The sincere and heartwarming story revolves around change and the impending transformation that threatens to shake up a close-knit Latino community. A cast of 27 vibrant, energetic performers carry the infectious score – a heady mix of salsa, merengue, hip-hop and traditional Broadway ballads – well beyond the urban landscape.

Before its Broadway debut, IN THE HEIGHTS ran for several months Off-Broadway at 37 Arts Theatre. It was there that Miranda, Quiara Alegria Hudes (book), Thomas Kail (director) and other creative team members experimented with the production’s look and feel. When the Off-Broadway run finally closed in July 2007 after 33 previews and 182 regular performances, the creative team had a six-month window to try and perfect the final product.

“We knew very clearly by the time we closed [Off-Broadway] what worked and what didn’t, what we wanted to make clearer, richer and better going in,” Miranda shared. “I feel like we came to Broadway armed with a lot of information and changes that I think make the show a lot better.”

The downtime apparently served them well because near-universal critical acclaim for the Broadway production has followed suit. New York Magazine has called the show “A ground-breaking 21st-Century musical. This extraordinary blend of old and new pushes the sound of Broadway even deeper into fresh territory. It’s one of the most satisfying musicals in years.” The New York Times said it’s “A singular new sensation” and added “This musical about chasing your dreams and finding your true home is Mr. Miranda’s own dream come true. He couldn’t look more at home.”

Miranda said the “spirit, story and the characters are the same” as they had been in earlier stagings. However, a considerable amount of time was spent focusing on Act II so the storylines would have a satisfying payoff. “We felt like we sort of tied things up a little too quickly Off-Broadway. I think the people who saw it Off-Broadway are going to be really thrilled with the changes because it answers questions they may have been left with in terms of where the characters are at the end of two hours and change.”

When this remarkable journey started for Miranda back in 1999, he wasn’t in the original college production – nor did he intend to be. He was purely focused on the storytelling through his eclectic taste in music. Perhaps the biggest reward for him now is that he can share in the excitement on a nightly basis from center stage.

“It’s like I built this really cool car and I get to drive it. It’s really been a blessing.”

For more information on IN THE HEIGHTS, visit InTheHeightsTheMusical.com.

By: Kirk Wingerson