Dynamic Community on the Play "In the Heights"
Your Assignment: You have chosen one of these three musicals (if Avenue Q, you have informed Dr. Abelman of your selection) as the subject for this writing assignment. You have watched the musical and submitted a lede. Now write a critical essay of this play, production and the performances.
In the Heights
Set over the course of three days in Washington Heights, New York City, In the Heights tells the story of a vibrant Latinx community where the coffee from the corner bodega is light and sweet, the windows are always open, and the breeze carries the rhythm of three generations of music. It’s a community on the brink of change, full of hopes, dreams and pressures, where the biggest struggles can be deciding the traditions you take with you and which ones you leave behind. In the Heights boasts music and lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda and is the winner of the 2008 Tony Award for Best Musical.
About this production
This musical was recorded live during a June, 2018 performance by Phoenix Productions at the Count Basie Theatre Red Bank, New Jersey. Phoenix is a community theater and this production should be critically evaluated accordingly. In preparation for your writing, consider re-reading about Amateur v. Equity in the sliding scale of criticism section of the Module 3 chapter “Prelude to a Critique.” Your essay should be descriptive, interpretive and analytical, isolating elements that are particularly noteworthy, exploring what is so noteworthy about them and how their impact on the audience is achieved and explaining what the reader is to do with that information. Submissions of less than 750 words or more than 1000 words will not be accepted.
Make sure your writing logically leads to the conclusion that the reader either attend or avoid this production. As with the previous assignment, write a lede, a 2nd paragraph description of the subject, several paragraphs of description and analysis, and a kicker. And feel free to add an appropriate title.
Audience: Readers of The Plain Dealer. Assume that your work appears in the entertainment section of the newspaper. Write accordingly.
Basic Requirements: This final draft must be word-processed with proper spelling, grammar and sentence structure.
Your final draft must be submitted with a word count and an attached list of all research sources.
Critical Essay of the Play ‘In the Heights’
Your Name
Course and Section
Professor’s Name
October 31, 2023
Lede:
In the middle of Washington Heights in New York City, music collides with culture as people dance and sing with the rhythm of their generation. As the sun rises, the coffee aroma fills the atmosphere as a sign of a new day ahead full of challenges and dreams (Hajimirsadeghi, 2022). Phoenix Productions's interpretation of "In the Heights" was recorded during a passionate June 2018 run at the Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank, New Jersey. Pheonix Production's interpretation takes the audience to a realm where dreams and customs mix with genuine passion and raw intensity. Viewers can connect with the culture, history, and soul-stirring music because of the dynamic community that the performers inhabit.
Description of the Subject:
The community of "In the Heights" delves into the life of the characters who are torn between preserving their culture or making massive changes that the society they live in forces them to do. The play is in the backdrop of a corner bodega and the coffee shop where the protagonist works, passed down to him by his parents. Dreams, demands, and aspirations clash to create a