In The Heights: A Columbia Witness Review
On November 18th, 2022 Columbia University staged its first ever adaptation of Lin Manuel Miranda’s In The Heights, a Tony-Award winning musical I have very strong opinions on. Incidentally, three friends I knew from Christian ministries performed in the show, so I had an obligation as a good sister in Christ to attend said show, regardless of my aforementioned passion for Manuel’s musical contributions. I’m also half Dominican and I like writing in my free time. Hence this blog post.
If you were present on any of those three days, you would know that the worst part of the show was undoubtedly the overhead promethean board that was hanging half-stretched over the audience, that forced all of us to congregate on one level (Columbia, you have like a trillion dollars. You couldn’t fix it in time?). I’m generally skeptical of the quality of student-run shows, as they generally can be more misses than hits. Because of that, I was absolutely astonished by the fantastic performances from the entire cast and crew those three days. The singing was impeccable, and the effort every actor put into their roles was evident. To portray these imperfect characters as they navigate a very messy situation of struggling financially in el barrio, issues of deportation, financing college, racism shown through Nina’s relationship with Benny, and when to sacrifice security for the sake of your dreams is incredibly challenging. I want to congratulate every single actor for their dedication to these characters and their excellent performances.
Despite my now thrice mentioned affection for Lin Manuel Miranda, I hadn’t listened to the entire In The Heights soundtrack when I watched the show. Alabanza, a song that is performed at a turning point in the plot after Abuela Claudia dies in her sleep, was performed that night, my first ever listen. Some of the beginning lyrics include:
“She'd say "Alabanza"
Alabanza means to raise this thing to God's face and to sing
Quite literally "praise to this"
When she was here, the path was clear
And she was just here
She was just here…”
The chorus follows and is sung by the entire ensemble, singing “Alabanza a Doña Claudia, Señor.” The actors come out on stage, looking toward the audience, shouting and crying“¡Alabanza!” over and over as the song comes to an end. When the music finished, the audience burst into applause, standing and cheering for the talented cast.
As a Latina-American woman from the NYC area, I’ve always understood the socio-economic issues that have plagued Hispanic communities for generations. The characters in this show are crafted extremely realistically: Nina’s father and mother (but really her father) are infected with an extreme pride of refusing to admit defeat or being wrong that I have found prevalent amongst immigrants. I also understand the feeling of being an American who’s benefited from all the sacrifices their parents made for them to succeed, and the pressure that puts on a young-person But as a Christian, my identity is founded first and foremost in how Christ perceives me, and in listening to Alabanza, I sensed a feeling that everyone, irrespective of their ethnic or cultural background could understand: desiring Truth. Given that the pursuit of Truth and God are the same pursuit (but that’s another Blog post), we could conclude that every character wanted closure, answer, justice, and ultimately God after the passing of Claudia.
It is often interactions with death that force us to consider the existence of a God, even if we ourselves don’t consider ourselves religious in normal everyday life. Two weeks before seeing this performance, I learned that a classmate of mine had passed away. It was at his memorial service where I asked his friends–many of whom would not consider themselves religious–if they wanted to pray for his family. All of them unanimously agreed, twice actually. Death jolted them from a state of not considering the existence of a God to a state of existentialism, fear of the unknown, and ultimately, desire of Truth. “Where was justice in having such a young talented person die, and could have that been me” one student asked. “He was just here! And now he’s gone,” said another, not releazing how much she echoed both Alabanza and Ecclesiates.
During the Middle Ages when the Black Plague swept over Europe, wiping away a third of the population with it, Catholics began using art, and later pamphlets, to warn passersby of the reality of death’s chokehold. The logic was: “You can die at any moment. Think about God before it's too late.” Ars Moriendi (The Art of Dying) became the first NYT bestseller in the thirteenth century, and death was a normal part of human existence. After centuries of technological and medical advancement, life-expectancy in the West is at its highest and now death typically only concerns the elderly. But what happens when death comes out of nowhere? In my case, to a classmate I would have considered a friend? And to Nina, Ben, Usnavi and Vannesa, a matriarchal figure who unexpectedly died in a heatwave. In the height of our fear, we search for the Rock to gaze upon when reminded that the inevitable foreverness of death will tackle us like in blackout night clubs.
Though it probably wasn’t Miranda’s intention, the addition of Alabanza reminds us of the deep human desire all of us have to seek the Lord and His truth, especially when slapped in the face with the inevitability of our own mortality. The theatrical show needed the song, especially when juxtaposed by its Columbia student performers who may be Christian, questioning, or maybe have rejected the faith altogether. In Christ, we have the chance to say that death is not defeat–rather, it is gain to one day be in paradise with our Lord. We don’t have to be afraid of the shadowing reality of death because death has been defeated. And sure, that’s a process that requires much patience and faith (hehe), but in His death we are made alive again. We are made alive to serve in building His kingdom, being servants to others, and enjoy the blessings (like In the Heights) that come our way.
Natalia Espinoza is a junior studying English Literature and Hispanic Studies at Columbia College. She enjoys philosophy, podcasts, linguistics, and traveling. Feel free to reach out to her at nne2107@columbia.edu.