Javier Muñoz wants to get up close and personal with his audience, and at every performance of In the Heights, he gets his wish. As Usnavi, the bodega owner and narrator of the Broadway show, he forges a special connection with onlookers. “It’s wonderful to play this character because I deliver everything right to the audience,” Muñoz says. “It’s not like being a character who only looks at others onstage. I make eye contact and I’m totally taking in everyone out there, so the energy exchange is really unique. To see a grandmother sitting next to her grandchild and watch both of them laughing and enjoying the show, that brings me more joy than anything.”

This intimacy, combined with a funny yet poignant story line, exceptional choreography and breathtaking talent, has catapulted In the Heights from its early life as an Off-Broadway piece to a four-time Tony award-winning Broadway musical (nominated for a total of 13 Tonys!).

Originally written by native New Yorker Lin-Manuel Miranda when he was a homesick sophomore at Wesleyan College, the first incarnation of the show was a smash hit at the college theater. Eventually, it made its way to Off-Broadway, where the freestyle rap scenes and Andy Blankenbuehler’s pulsating choreography caught the attention of producers Jill Furman, Kevin McCollum and Jeffrey Seller (whose Broadway credits include Rent, Avenue Q and The Drowsy Chaperone). The expanded version burst onto the Broadway scene in March 2008.

In the Heights tells the story of the hopes and dreams of a close-knit group of characters living in the barrio of northern Manhattan’s Washington Heights. Anna Louizos’ stunning stage set reveals a jumble of buildings with fire escapes connecting the various floors. As Nina (Mandy Gonzalez), a young woman back home from Stanford University sings, “My thoughts took shape on the fire escape.” Here a bodega and a beauty salon stand side by side. Scrawled letters and images, often the work of the character Graffiti Pete, color the background.  

Washington Heights is home to generations of Cubans, Puerto Ricans and Dominicans, with each generation hoping the next will do better and move to more affluent areas. But audiences don’t have to hail from Upper Manhattan to delight in this joyful musical. These characters cherish universal values of family and community togetherness that are found in ethnic enclaves around the world. “We get audiences from all walks of life,” Muñoz explains. “They’re from every country imaginable and they come to this show and love it.”

When a veritable army of high-energy dancers strut their stuff onstage to the beat of sizzling Latin-infused rhythms, the audience’s only regret is that they can’t join in. With its groundbreaking score, In the Heights has ushered in a new kind of Broadway musical, one that melds the best of the traditional genre to the irresistible allure of urban salsa, merengue, bachata and hip-hop.   

While Muñoz appreciates the vibrant score and dazzling dance numbers, he is also deeply touched by the show’s underlying message. “There’s no violence, no drugs, no crime in this show. Everyone’s hardworking, everyone’s passionate and everyone has a dream and works hard to achieve their goals. It’s wonderful for young people to see this, set to music that they can relate to,” he says.  

Muñoz has his own hopes for the production’s future: “I’d love to see this show go on a world tour. It conveys to audiences that no matter what happens in your life, hold on to the people you love and have hope. And that is a beautiful message.”

In the Heights is currently playing at Broadway’s Richard Rodgers Theatre, 226 W. 46th St. For reservations, call 212-307-4100 or click here.