So much can be told over the span of a few minutes, so much can be unpacked in a matter of seconds, and when the song "Paciencia y Fe" begins in "In The Heights" a whole life is about to unfold. The matriarch Abuela Claudia has been supporting and helping characters throughout the show so far, and very little is known about her until now. We know she helped raise most of the block, she never had biological children but she has taken care of so many in the cast and more in so many ways, she has a lot of love to give, and she loves to play the lotto. But at this moment in the stage version, and the version I will be discussing today exclusively, the unthinkable has happened. A winning lottery ticket to the tune of 96,000, as shown by the number that directly preceded it, and as this great victory has come, she begins to look back at her life, and she tells the audience her story.
The fundamentals in "In The Heights" come from legacy, something Lin Manuel Miranda would carry into "Hamilton", but instead of a grand stage of the nation's founding fathers, this is about legacy and dreams in the small starting space known as home. The stories, desires, and legacies of your friends, neighbors, and family both by blood and found. As the narrative of the stage show unravels we see the cast's wants, dreams, where they have come from, and where they want to go. This is Abulea Clauda's moment.
Starting from humble beginnings to immigrating, to now, to the big reveal of her winning the lottery, but she goes about her day as if it never happened and all that is left are her mother's words that she has lived by and passed on to others "Paciencia y Fe", patience and faith. The song has a sweeping score, uses the ensemble, and shows every moment with perfect pacing and beautiful lyrics, showing a story that is all too true. A story of a struggling Latino family who worked and worked their way, living by words that seem simple from the outside but hold so much power. Patience and faith to overcome the struggles of poverty or in the case of the second half of the song, trying to find a new home and being greeted by standards to change and conform. "You better clean this mess, You better learn English, you better not be late, you better pull your weight.." the ensemble shouts as Abluea keeps singing the words her mother gave to her to combat them. The two of them doing everything they could in their new home, "Polishing with pride, scrubbing the whole of the upper easter side, the days into weeks, the weeks into years and here I stay", a woman on the other side of it all.
Now she is left with the winning ticket, a golden moment she never expected, giving my favorite lyric "Aye Mama what do you do when your dream comes true? I've spent my life inheriting dreams from you..". In this musical about dreams big and small, finding your place, or finding where home is, the plot moves along and shows what the cast dreams of, for Benny it's to prove himself and win Nina's heart, for Nina she feels like her dream is all but lost, and Usnavi can't find his dream until he goes back home, he and Vanessa feel their current environment can't give them what they want. Abulea is the first in the show to have a dream come true, and how does she greet it by buying a loaf of bread to feed the birds, and continues with her day. She wonders what her mom would say and the song ends on a powerful chord as she sings one last time "Paciencia y Fe", even though the dream has come true she will not let go of what she learned. The very words that have carried her this far still ring in her ears and she intends to still live by them. These words are reflected in the character from the moment she says them in the opening song, to every appearance she makes in the show.
Words that carry weight throughout someone's life, and a song that shows a perfect reading of someone's story. When she walked into the song, the audience is then given her story and worldview in a matter of minute, and then the story continues. The masterful use of the ensemble, the beautiful lyrics, the message behind them all, and the sweeping score make this song unforgettable. The movie version tells the story in its own way, and I will discuss that one someday, but this version whether seen on stage or listened to, is an adventure. It shows of life of patience and faith and how the best things handed down to us are not physical, but the lessons we learned and can pass on to others.
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