One of the pleasures of life is watching the next generation stretch and grow and find their passions. I have had the pleasure of watching my niece, Choice, participate in musical theater since she was a young child. She took a break for a few years while she pursued cross-country running while in high school. When she started at San Jose State in 2017, Choice rediscovered her love for musical theater and has worked hard at practicing and perfecting her craft.
Last year, Choice was in the cast of a theater production of The Crucible. It was her first foray into local theater and she was once again hooked.
This time around, the show was In the Heights and getting a part in this show was magical. This show has a very special place in my family. My mother used to take my sisters and I to musicals in San Francisco from the time we were young children. This tradition has been passed down to the next generation with my niece taking it to the next level by performing. My sister, Alece, Choice (Alece’s daughter) and I went to see In the Heights in 2010 in San Francisco and fell in love with the production. They had flown up from Los Angeles just to see the production and were not disappointed. They even saw it again in Los Angeles and had the pleasure of watching Lin Manuel Miranda in the lead role of Usnavi. This was the first Lin Manuel Miranda production (pre-Hamilton) and it was mesmerizing.
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- San Jose Hammer Theater
The story of In the Heights explores three days in the characters’ lives in the New York City Latino neighborhood of Washington Heights. The score features hip-hop, salsa, merengue and soul music. In the hispanic community of Manhattan’s Washington Heights, bodega owner Usnavi wants to date Vanessa, who works in a beauty salon.
Choice was part of the ensemble as well as the understudy for Daniela, who runs the beauty salon and Choice did a great job! The whole production was very well done and the other actors were extremely talented as well. While getting a lead role is the dream, the beauty of being part of the ensemble means that you are often in almost every scene and get a ton of stage time!
Choice was so excited to be cast in this production and cried buckets after the final show! She developed very rich and supportive relationships with several of the cast members and will miss the camaraderie of rehearsals and twice daily shows.
As an aunt, it was my pleasure to be able to watch two performances and watch my niece spread her wings and work her passions. After the shows, we were able to meet some of the other cast members and tell them how wonderful they were.
It was great to be able to spend time with my family and enjoy a great show as well!
Share your proud family moments in the comments!
