This is a musical that is bilingual, multicultural (American - Latino, African - American, South American, Caribbean etc), and just out and out fun! Loved the acting, loved the songs, loved the dancing, loved the story - loved it loved it loved it!
I have to say that personally growing up I had a very different experience growing up. My parents were divorced and I spent most of my time not identifying with my Colombian heritage - really just ignorant to what it means to grow up Latina. Yes, I had been to Colombia 3 times before I was 8 years old, but didn't really didn't get my heritage or ties to the "homeland" - I was too young and I all I understood was that they were my family. Back in the States, where I was born, I didn't speak Spanish, didn't live within an enclave of Latinos or people born from Latin America. I pronounced my last name incorrectly in school as it was just easier to have them mispronounce it. It wasn't until I was 8 years old that I found out how important my heritage was to me and how important it was for me to communicate to my relatives and understand where my father came from.
When I went to live with my father at 10 years old, I started making more of a cultural connection and also faced the racism and prejudices of my classmates because I didn't "look Latina," I didn't look like my father - a Colombian who is also Black. And I didn't speak Spanish like my father and Tia. It was a long time before I could reconcile this and was further confused when I asked my dad a simple question - "Dad, are you Black?" and his response was "No, I am Colombian." You see, my classmates didn't know that people from Latin America could also be black and I only saw my father as my dad, my papi. Also, my dad is one of 9 children of which only 2 live in the US. So there was no real extended family, no little Colombia nearby where we lived in Northern Virginia, we lived a multcultural apartment complex. Yes, we watched futbol (soccer) every weekend together, but we also watched football. Instead of Sabado Gigante, we watched Soul Train and Solid Gold. We ate pandebonos (warm cheesebread) and bunuelos (our Colombian version of donuts) on weekends and hello, rice and beans of course. But I didn't speak Spanish, and the only time I heard it was when I was being reprimanded by my dad or tia who lived with us. I still look back on those times with fondness and now that my dad has started making pandebonos for my little sister on weekends, I always smile.
What is my point in sharing this with you? As much as I wanted to relate to "In The Heights," I couldn't. My story of growing up was distinctive in that my mom was not Latin American but my father was, and while I lived with my father, I didn't live in a predominantly Hispanic/Latino community, while I was exposed to the culture, I didn't speak the language. However, what I learned over the years, was how much I connected to the culture, the language, my familia, my Colombia, and finally my identity, rich in the blood of my Spanish, African indigenous as well as German, English and Scottish heritages.
All in all, so glad I saw it and experienced it, and so happy to have found joy in it! Whatever your background, I encourage all to see it and you will see aspects that you can relate and aspects you can't but overall you will ENJOY IT!
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