By Melissa Moore-Randall
For the first time in 30 years, singing, dancing and applause resonated throughout the Revere High School auditorium. On April 12th and 13th, Revere High School’s Drama Club, under the direction of Kristina Menissian and Tina Marie Petty, debuted Lin-Manuel Miranda’s “In the Heights.”
The story is set over the course of three days, involving characters in the largely Dominican American neighborhood of Washington Heights in Upper Manhattan, New York City.
musical, April 12-13, at the high school.
RHS Drama Teacher Kristina Menissian said the decision to do this show was intentional and purposeful. The story of In The Heights is about the Hispanic population of Washington Heights, NYC. The characters struggle with the same issues that any immigrant family struggles with- language barriers, wanting a better life for themselves and their children, escaping dangerous and challenging situations in their home countries. This show offered the opportunity for me to bring my knowledge of theatre and for the cast to bring their knowledge of their cultures- they taught me just as much about their cultures as much as I taught them about theatre. It’s been a collaborative process.”
The much anticipated performances caught the attention of local news outlets and the show’s creator, Lin-Manuel Miranda, also the Tony Award winning creator of “Hamilton”. Miranda sent the cast and crew a special video message. Menissian contacted “In the Heights” official merchandiser instead of a local company. Ironically, the person she happened to contact was also Miranda’s brother-in-law, who relayed the story of RHS’s landmark musical to the writer.
The video surprise begins with Miranda singing the opening number but then turned into an inspirational message wishing them luck and reminding them to be a community on the stage. The cast and crew erupted as they watched Miranda’s video message which said, “Hey Revere, good morning, break a leg on your show! Congratulations, remember to be a community every second you’re on that stage.”
In addition, the cast and crew were visited by WBZ-TV and CBS News Boston anchor, Paula Ebben, who did a promotional commercial prior to the performances.
RHS Drama Teacher Kristina Menissian was extremely proud of the production. “I am beyond proud of the work our students accomplished on this show. It was great to see the turnout of people across the city, as well as outside of our city, due to the news coverage of the Lin Manuel Miranda video we received. To all of the parents, guardians, teachers, and Revere community that turned out to support us , thank you for supporting RHS theatre! Thank you to all of the RPS staff members from across the district that helped by having their students produce art depicting what makes Revere their home. These were prominently displayed in our lobby. To RPS Maintenance Director Carl Svendsen and the RHS custodians, I am eternally grateful for everything you did to support us regardless of how last minute or seemingly crazy the ask. To my fearless thespians, Alabanza, to their hard work, to their commitment to this long process, and their inclusive attitudes. I hope they leave this process with memories of hard work, collaboration, and a knowledge and appreciation of theatre. I hope they recognize how they have grown as people and actors during this process. I hope they understand that it was in fact their talent, willingness to adapt and commitment to this process that made this show possible. I hope they realize that they leave behind their hard work and knowledge that they’ve made history as well as a lasting impact on Revere High School. It’s been my privilege to meet, learn from and get to know all of them. I hope they always find our theatre their home away from home. I hope we can all recognize what theatre can do for our kids and our community!”
If you were not able to catch one of the performances, you can tune into the Local Revere Channel to check it out!
