In the Heights: Songs 6-10

Here’s the second installment of In the Heights songs.  Nice mix of lighter “flavor” numbers like “No Me Diga” and “Piragua” and more heavy-hitters like “96,000” (the song that, at the Tony’s, introduced me to Lin-Manuel Miranda as a composer) and “Paciencia y Fe” (some spoilers.)

“No Me Diga” – This is a nice bit of fluff, a fun character piece that nudges the main ships a little and circles around to Nina’s plot toward the end.  Great harmonies from the ladies, and I like the sense it creates of Daniela and Carla’s personalities.

Best lyric:  “Carla! / He’s packing a stretch limousine!”

“96,000” – Another “I want” song, this one features a good chunk of the main cast.  When it’s discovered that a winning lotto ticket was sold at Usnavi’s bodega, word spreads through the neighborhood and everyone imagines what they’d do with the money, funding everything from education to relocation to urban rehabilitation.

Best lyric:  “For real, though, / Imagine how it would feel goin’ real slow / Down the highway of life with no regrets, / And no breakin’ your neck / For respect / Or a paycheck.”

“Paciencia y Fe” – Just beautiful, a ballad of Abuela Claudia’s immigration from Cuba as a child.  The delicate balance between struggle and hope is so plaintive, and I like that Abuela highlights the positives and negatives of both La Vibora and New York.

Best lyric:  “Ay Mamá, what do you do / When your dreams come true? / I’ve spent my life / Inheriting dreams from you.”

“When You’re Home” – A lot going on here.  This is the first song between Nina and Benny that really starts moving them toward romance, and it also explores Nina’s feelings about being home, her continuing worry that she’s let her parents and the neighborhood down, and fond memories both of them have of growing up in Washington Heights.  I love Benny’s warmth and delight as he takes Nina on the trip down memory lane, and Nina’s solo in the second half of the song is great.

Best lyric:  “I used to think we lived at the top of the world / When the world was just a subway map.”

“Piragua” – Piragua Guy is such a great addition to this story.  He doesn’t even has a name, but he gets his own song (with a reprise, no less!), just one person in a bustling neighborhood working toward his goals bit by bit.  I love his exuberance and tenacity, which are introduced here and brought to fruition later in the show.

Best lyric:  “I keep scraping by the fading light. / Hey, pana, this is my town!”