Artistic Influences Anonymous

The sound of the rhythmic clave at the very beginning of the opening number of In the Heights brings me back to my childhood -- yes, even more than my favorite Disney television show theme song does. This rap hip-hop musical, written by and starring Lin Manuel Miranda, was first introduced to me when I was a ten year-old. I had left my primarily white suburban elementary school for a much more diverse arts magnet school 45 minutes away in part to pursue my dreams of being an actor. In my new classes, I finally met people who were as interested in the arts as I was (not to mention a few who shared my Jewish background). Despite at last finding people that I had things in common with, I was still the only Puerto Rican person that I knew. My Puerto Rican grandparents lived halfway across the country, and I wasn’t very in touch with that part of my culture, other than dancing to the occasional reggaeton song.

When In the Heights came to Broadway, I honestly didn’t know that much about my Puerto Rican heritage. My father, however, bought the cast album and played it whenever we went on long drives somewhere. I loved musical theater and reggaeton, but the mix of the two was something that I had never heard before. The main character,...