Last night was one of those "I-live-in-the-greatest-city-in-the-world" moments that you have when you live in New York. I am really beginning to believe it.
In The Heights won this year's Tony for best musical, and the play deserved it. It is a story about loving people different from you, about the rock that is your family, and about the role home always plays in your life (wherever you may wander). It is a story about how different people are searching for their own happiness.
Some theater critics have complained that the storyline of In The Heights is unoriginal or trite. Particularly right now, however, I was struck by many elements of the admittedly- familiar story. So I loved it.
My favorite song was Albanza. It is a song paying tribute to the matronly, care-taking character, Abeula, and her ability to appreciate and lift-up the simple things in the middle of this big, busy city. I increasingly find myself noticing and appreciating the small wonders of this city: the kids playing on the sidewalk, the amazing sunrise over the skyline, the way that each building--not just the landmarks-- seems to have a storied history, like "George Washington drank here with this buddies" or "Clement Clark Moore wrote 'Twas the Night Before Christmas in this house"
It is almost as if, in a city where millions and millions of people come to build their lives, every inch of this 319-square mile city is soaked with their aspirations, plans, and dreams. Whether they are immigrants in Washington Heights, families on the Upper East Side, or gay couples in Chelsea, and whether their dreams are from yesterday or today, such dreams, at their root, are amazingly similar and comfortably familiar.
Last night, as I watched the play, I thought about this universal pursuit of happiness. I am doing a pretty good job in that pursuit these days. I have an amazing family, a promising new person in my life, and a pretty cool job. I am enjoying the pursuit. Day by day, my own story gets added to the millions of other ones in this City.
It is one I am very happy pursuing.
