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Quiara Alegria: “Writing a musical is like having to meld brains with someone else”

26/06/2008
Quiara Alegria Hudes is the book writer of IN THE HEIGHTS, the musical that has won 4 Tony Awards this year, included Best Musical.

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No doubt, it’s the hit of this season in Broadway. IN THE HEIGHTS is causing commotion in Richard Rodgers Theatre since its opening last March 9th. On June 15th the musical won four Tony Awards, including Best Musical.

The story explores three days in the characters´ lives in the New York City Latino neighborhood of Washington Heights. IN THE HEIGHTS began as an original musical conceived by Lin-Manuel Miranda during his sophomore year at Wesleyan University. Seven years after the idea was first born, IN THE HEIGHTS was ready for its New York theatrical debut in 37 Arts Theatre, in Off Broadway. It quickly became an audience phenomenon and a critical success. After over 200 performances, In The Heights played its final Off-Broadway show on July 15th, 2007, and began preparations for a move to Broadway.

Quiara Alegria Hudes is an American playwright and author best known for writing the book of IN THE HEIGHTS. She was a Pulitzer Prize finalist in 2007 for her play ‘Elliot, A Soldier´s Fugue’. Her newest play, ‘26 Miles’, will soon premier at Atlanta´s Alliance Theatre. Quiara tells us more details about this successful new musical.

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE GREAT SUCCESS OF IN THE HEIGHTS?
It’s still hard to believe, especially since I don’t have to be there every day like the actors. I visit the show once a week, and when I’m on my way I still think, “Is my show actually still playing there?” Then I turn the corner and see the sign, and I give a sigh of relief.

WHAT DO THE 4 TONY AWARDS MEAN TO YOU? HOW DID YOU FEEL THE NIGHT OF THE TONYS?
I have a tradition where on big nights in the theatre—tech nights, first previews, opening nights—I need to go get a big greasy bacon cheeseburger to make me forget my nerves. After all the Tony parties were over, my husband and I went to an all-night diner and I had the best theatre cheeseburger of my life, at 5:30 in the morning.

HOW DID YOU GET INVOLVED WITH IN THE HEIGHTS?
Matchmaking. I wrote a play called THE ADVENTURE OF BARRIO GRRRL! which had a reading at the Manhattan Theatre Club. It was my first New York reading. Afterwards, an audience member came up and asked if he could pass my number along to a friend of his who was looking for a book writer. It turns out his friend was Jill Furman, who produced HEIGHTS.

WHAT IS IT THE PROCESS OF WRITING A BOOK OF A NEW MUSICAL? IS IT VERY DIFFERENT THAN WRITING A PLAY?
Writing a play is a solitary journey. I sit alone for weeks, months, getting very absorbed in my story and the characters. I am completely alone and make every decision on my own. Writing a musical is like having to meld brains with someone else. I had to get inside Lin’s brain and he had to get inside mine. I would write a scene and then he’d steal the whole thing (thief!) and turn it into a song. So, naturally, to get back at him he’d write a song and then I’d pilfer it and turn it into a scene. It’s like playing volleyball—the ideas are always in the air, being tossed back and forth.

WHAT WAS IT LIKE COLLABORATING WITH LIN-MANUEL MIRANDA?
We did a lot of park walks in Washington Heights where we’d just hash out ideas and brainstorm. We played a lot of video games. I’d sit on his couch and run a new punch line by him, and if he didn’t laugh, I’d keep tweaking, and meanwhile he’d sing a new line to me and see what I thought.

WHO ARE THE MAIN CHARACTERS OF IN THE HEIGHTS? WHICH CHARACTERS DO YOU FEEL THE AUDIENCES MOST IDENTIFY WITH?
I see the community itself as the lead character. The community changes irrevocably over the course of the musical, as do the individuals within the community. Personally, I relate to Nina. Some people love Abuela, some think Sonny is close to home, others hear Vanessa’s song and identify with her. My stepfather relates to Benny the self-made businessman. 

SOME PEOPLE HAVE SAID THAT IN THE HEIGHTS ONLY REFLECTS THE GOOD SIDE OF WASHINGTON HEIGHTS. WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT IT?
In HEIGHTS a store gets looted, a blackout happens, a fight breaks out, and two long-time local businesses shut down forever.  To me, that reflects a community facing very real challenges. My mother and step-father are business owners in North Philly (the Puerto Rican community in Philadelphia) and they struggled throughout the years, sometimes successfully, sometimes not, to keep their businesses open and their workers employed. To me, that’s community struggle. The fact that they are positive, loving people does not make their struggle any less real. I don’t think there needs to be a murder or a drug bust to make it “real.”

THE MUSICAL WAS FIRST AN OFF BROADWAY SHOW AND, DUE TO ITS SUCCESS IT WAS TRANSFERRED TO BROADWAY LAST FEBRUARY. WHAT CHANGES DID YOU MAKE BEFORE OPENING ON BROADWAY?
A lot! We wrote non-stop. Watching our show play for six months off-Broadway taught us so much. A lot of act two is new. Camila has a fierce song. Benny stands up to Kevin more firmly. Also, Kevin is much harder on Benny. We continued to explore the family tension.

WHAT DO YOU THINK MAKES IN THE HEIGHTS DIFFERENT THAN OTHER BROADWAY SHOW?
One time a little girl and her mom stayed for a talk-back. The girl said, “I’m chile-domini-cu-rican!” That’s a line from the show. Another time I was sitting in the audience next to an elderly man who was wearing a yarmulke. He turned to me after the first scene with tears in his eyes and said, “That’s my nana,” referring to Abuela Claudia. If both those people can relate to our show, that’s pretty damn cool.

DO YOU THINK THAT IN THE HEIGHTS WOULD HAVE THE SAME SUCCESS IN OTHER COUNTRIES (AS ENGLAND OR SPAIN)?
You’ll have to ask our producers that. But I’d love to travel to either of those places right now! I just wrote a Broadway musical, my husband just graduated from law school, and we have a sixteen month old daughter. We need a vacation!

YOU’RE WRITING A NEW CHILDREN MUSICAL. WHAT COULD YOU TELL US ABOUT IT?
It’s called BARRIO GRRRL! THE MUSICAL, and is about a spunky Latina girl and her punk-rock imaginary friend. Bill Sherman, who just won a Tony for his Heights orchestrations, is composing the music. It’s a commission for the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC. (And yes, it is based on the play mentioned earlier in this interview. Talk about full circle!)

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