Look at the fireworks!

(This image does not belong to me.)

I've loved "In The Heights" since July of 2007 when I went to see it off-Broadway at 37 Arts in midtown west a Sunday afternoon. I was so lucky - I woke up that morning and thought, "I'm going to see a show" and Cesar had seen this one already and loved it and so I bought tickets right before the performance was sold out. This was, after all, their final Off-Broadway Performance and the show had already been chosen to move on up to Broadway. I remember how much I loved Vanessa (and Karen Olivo), I disliked Nina and the actress that portrayed her, loved Usnavi, cried when Abuela passed away, and left that theater humming "Look at the fireworks!" after pre-buying the yet to be recorded soundtrack.

I hummed that line for a year after only hearing that song once. When the show appeared in Broadway finally, I refused to listen to the soundtrack until I had the chance to watch the new, revamped Broadway version. I got to see the show in AMAZING seats as a graduation present. I lost the ability to breathe during several moments in that show, and felt my eyes water when the "Blackout" song finally came on towards the end of the first act.

I mean, I really loved this show. I saw it one more time in 2008, and then two years have gone by and this weekend I just wanted to see it again. Plus I was curious to see how Jordin Sparks would be as Nina. So I convinced mi Cariño, and off we went.

This was tough for me, since I had never seen the show without its original actors - Can Usnavi really be Usnavi without Lin Manuel Miranda, and all that. I have to say that Sparks was pretty decent as Nina - not a dancer by any means and the acting is okay, but she sure has the pipes for it, and more. All I know is that when Blackout came around I once again lost the ability to breathe and my eyes went misty and I felt so... I don't know, complete, fulfilled? I don't even know how to explain it, but I sure love that feeling.

After the Show and after wandering around the city for an hour or two we decided to go to the movies, and 'La Soga' was playing. This Dominican produced, directed and acted movie was pretty interesting - I can only compare it to reading a Short Story. It's a revenge flick, with lots of action and blood and what not, but also makes good use of symbolism, hits the right sentimental notes, and really kept me entertained. I recommend y'all to go watch it. It's a big deal for me - for the country. Growing up, we never saw ourselves on TV - DR only had limited reaches, production wise. We had news programs, tv show sketches, a la saturday night live and Sábado Gigante - things that had one stationary camera in one studio. The biggest amount of acting and self produced things we saw were our commercials (and those were a piece of art.) So it means something to me to see mi Santiago in the big screen. Makes me happy. It's not fireworks lighting up the night sky happy, but it's a good deal close. Ah, patriotism, nationalism... la la la.