Production manager and director Joseph Munoz with the cast and crew of ‘In the Heights,’ now playing through Sept. 17 at the Harbor Playhouse in Corpus Christi. Photo by Jane Kathleen Gregorio
Editor’s Note: “In the Heights” had to cancel three performances the weekend Hurricane Harvey blew through town. Performances resume Friday, September 1 with a drop in ticket prices if you bring a donation of supplies for storm recovery. Bring water or other supplies and see this Tony Award winning musical for only $10 each.
Although the story of “In the Heights” plays out in a New York City neighborhood, the Tony Award-winning musical could just as easily take place in Corpus Christi. The musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda follows the lives of residents in the predominantly Hispanic neighborhood of Washington Heights. The struggles of these immigrant families in Manhattan are as real as the everyday challenges faced by families on the Texas Gulf Coast, said production manager and director Joseph Munoz.
“We have Puerto Ricans, Columbians, Mexicans, Cubans, et cetera, living together in the same area,” he said. “The play focuses on ‘What is family?’ and ‘Who is family?’”
The parents of characters in one family died at a young age, and the children were raised by their grandmother. They run the corner store formerly owned by their parents. Another family owns a cab and limousine company, proud to be sending the eldest daughter — the first in family and the neighborhood — to college.
How these low-income families pull together to make things work for the sake of the next generation and how that generation shows their respect and thanks to their elders form the backdrop of the stories told. Munoz points to a scene in which a female character laments the passing of a loved one.
“She sings, ‘Thank you for everything that I know, for preparing me for the world, for showing me how to make it here,” Munoz said.
Much of the music is rap, which also drives the wildly popular musical “Hamilton,” another creation of Miranda. At first, Munoz was skeptical of the genre’s use in a Broadway musical. “In the Heights” was instrumental in changing his opinion.
“I’m not going to lie, when I first heard the music, I hated it,” Munoz said. “But when I saw the complete production, I was amazed. I loved it entirely. I said, ‘I need to be a part of this,’ so when I saw that it was coming here, I wanted to be involved.”
Munoz was hired as production manager for the Harbor Playhouse after he moved here from Dallas earlier this year. When the time came, he put together the design, choreography, music and production teams to ensure an on-time schedule for opening night Aug. 18.
As director, the play holds a personal significance to him. Like the character Nina, he was the first one in his generation to go to college. Also like Nina, he dropped out and had to face his family with the news.
“There’s the idea of being the first one of a generation or community to get out and have an opportunity for a better life,” he explained. “You become a beacon of hope for everybody, which is shattered if you come home and say that you’ve dropped out.”
Just as with Nina, Munoz coming home and telling everyone he was no longer in school took away that hope.
As director, Munoz pushes his actors to dig deeper and find the emotions to convey the real essence of their characters’ stories. Before the first rehearsal, he called each cast member to congratulate them on getting the part then gave them an assignment: bring to rehearsal written answers to the questions, “What is family to you?” and “What is it about your family that you love so much?”
“From the first step, we had to establish the heart of the show,” Munoz said. “It’s about family and hope. Family doesn’t always mean blood, but the people you identify as family. I’m always asking the cast if they have ever talked to their families about how they got here.”
Munoz encourages his actors to think about the story behind the words they are singing. The actress who plays Cuban immigrant Abuela Claudia has to imagine what it was like for her to come to America as a little girl with no family, working as a maid, having people yell at her. In the end, however, she is proud they “scrubbed the entire Upper East Side, earning their way.”
“The songs we are singing recognize what the older generation has done for the younger,” he said. “It’s a sort of shaking hands with the generations.”
As director of an all-volunteer cast, Munoz especially enjoys watching the production come together. According to Munoz, a beautiful transformation occurs with each play or musical.
“At first, the actors are all nervous around each other, but as the production comes to a close, we notice an interesting side effect,” he said. “The cast become very close-knit and become their own family. I would even see them hanging out on Facebook after rehearsals. They become so tight, they are crying as they are leaving.”
No show is like the one you are doing right now, Munoz explained.
“You could do the same show, but you’ll have different people, so the people you’re working with right now are the people you’re with right now,” he said. “That’s what makes theater special and unique.”
Community theater takes that feeling of community a step further. People from all walks of life are involved, and all of them are volunteers.
“It’s for everybody. We exist for everyone, not just people who are talented or experienced,” Munoz continued. “It’s for anyone who dares to dream and is not afraid to let loose. Everyone has an equal opportunity, and the doors are always open. The thing that the Harbor Playhouse needs the most is people.”
That could be you! Once you’ve experienced the magic from the audience’s point of view, why not become a member of the next cast?
“In The Heights” plays through Sept. 17 at the Harbor Playhouse, 1802 N. Chaparral, Building #2. For more information, call (361) 882-5500 or visit harborplayhouse.com.
