In the Heights, page 15
You might be right, this music’s tight.
Yo, did I mention that you look great tonight?
Because you do, you really— 2
VANESSA: Usnavi, relax!
USNAVI: Relax. ¿Qué relaxed? I’m relaxed.
(A couple dances by.)
MAN, WOMAN: Wepa! Vanessa!
USNAVI: So you’ve been here before.
I don’t go out, I get so busy with the store
Y cada día it’s a brand-new chore.
My arms are sore, no time for the dance floor.
But maybe you and me should hang out some more.
I’m such a dork, but I—
VANESSA: Let’s go get a drink.
USNAVI: Something sweet.
VANESSA: You know me. A little bit of cinnamon.
COMPANY: Wepa! Vanessa!
(USNAVI joins BENNY at the bar. BENNY is doing shots.)
BENNY: Here’s to getting fired!
USNAVI: To killing the mood!
USNAVI, BENNY: ¡Salud!
(They do a shot.)
BENNY: Without so much as a thank you!
USNAVI: Five long years.
USNAVI, BENNY: Cheers!
(They do another shot.)
BENNY: To finally getting Vanessa,
Man, fix your collar—
(He fixes USNAVI’S collar.)
USNAVI, BENNY: Holler!
BENNY: To doing shots on a weekend!
USNAVI: As long as you buy ’em, l’chaim!
(Another shot. JOSÉ approaches VANESSA.)
JOSÉ: Hey you!
VANESSA: Who?
JOSÉ: You!
VANESSA: Who, me?
JOSÉ: You wanna dance? 3
VANESSA: Naw, man…
JOSÉ: Okay, I took my chance…
USNAVI: It’s cool, it’s cool, hey, if you want to…
VANESSA: You don’t mind?
USNAVI: I’m fine! I’m fine!
BENNY: Yo!
USNAVI: Yo!
BENNY: Who’s Vanessa talkin’ to?
USNAVI: Some dude!
BENNY: Some dude?!
That’s messed up, she’s tryin’ to make you jealous!
USNAVI: Jealous, I ain’t jealous, I can take all these fellas, whatever!
(USNAVI grabs VANESSA from JOSÉ and dances with her. JOSÉ is pissed. NINA enters.)
NINA: Benny, can we take a walk outside?
BENNY: And there she is.
NINA: I’m so sorry, I didn’t know. 4
BENNY: Who let you in? Yo, this is the girl who cost us our jobs today!
NINA: I’m gonna make it right!
(He raises his glass to her.)
BENNY: A toast to the end of all I know!
NINA: You’ve had enough.
BENNY: Says the girl who has it all.
NINA: That’s not fair.
BENNY: Well, why don’t you run home to Daddy?
He loves to remind me that I’ll never be good enough for your
Family…for you…
NINA: You don’t know me.
BENNY: Poor you.
NINA: I thought you were different.
(He shoves his drink in NINA’s hand and pulls a random woman to the dance floor.)
BENNY: Salud.
(A chorus of boys swoops in on VANESSA, stealing her from USNAVI, alternating as they swing her around the floor.)
PIRAGUA GUY, GRAFFITI PETE, MEN: Vanessa, let me get the next one
Vanessa, let me interject some
The way you sweat, the way you flex on the floor,
It makes me want you more!
Vanessa, let me get the next one
Vanessa, let me interject some
The way you sweat, the way you flex on the floor,
It makes me want you more!
Vanessa, let me get the next one
Vanessa, let me interject some
The way you sweat, the way you flex on the floor,
It makes me want you more!
(USNAVI approaches YOLANDA at the bar.)
USNAVI: Bartender!
Let me get an amaretto sour for this ghetto flower.
How are you so pretty? 5
You complete me.
You had me at hello, you know you need me
Truly, madly, deeply, let’s get freaky.
Oh, I get it you’re the strong and silent type.
Well, I’m the Caribbean island type
And I can drive you wild all night.
But I digress
Say something so I don’t stress.
YOLANDA: No hablo Inglés.
USNAVI: Yes!
(USNAVI takes her out on the floor. Everyone is dancing. VANESSA and JOSÉ. USNAVI and YOLANDA. BENNY and CLUB GIRL. NINA finds another guy to dance with and spins by BENNY. BENNY is pissed. USNAVI swoops in and takes VANESSA out of JOSÉ’s hands and dances with her. JOSÉ, without missing a beat, glides back in and takes VANESSA back, mid-turn. To add insult to injury, he grabs YOLANDA and is now dipping and spinning them both on the dance floor. During this impressive display, USNAVI and a very drunk BENNY slide in and each grab a girl, leaving JOSÉ dancing alone. JOSÉ, angry, starts to tap USNAVI on the shoulder. Without missing a beat, BENNY hauls and punches JOSÉ across the face. More and more instruments add to the mix. The dancing gets intense, crazy. It is a whirlwind of movement, a release of stress, when suddenly: 6
THE POWER GOES OUT IN WASHINGTON HEIGHTS. 7
Complete darkness. A cellphone light appears, illuminating a face. More and more cellphones light up, creating a blue glow in the club.)
8
(A flashlight comes on in the dispatch booth.)
PIRAGUA GUY: ¿Oye, qué pasó?
USNAVI: Blackout, blackout!
PIRAGUA GUY:
¡Vino el apagón ay dios!
GRAFFITI PETE, MEN:
Oh no!
PIRAGUA GUY, MEN:
¿Oye, qué pasó?
¡Vino el apagón
Ay dios!
USNAVI:
Blackout,
Blackout!
BENNY:
Hold up, wait,
Hold up, wait!
GRAFFITI PETE, MEN,
DANIELA, CARLA, NINA,
WOMEN, VANESSA:
Oh no!
ENSEMBLE:
Oh no!
USNAVI:
Yo! I! Can’t see!
Quit shovin’ you
Son of a—
It’s an oven
And we gotta
Back out,
This is a blackout!
Chill, for real,
Or we’re gonna
Get killed!
BENNY:
Nina, where’d you
go, I can’t find
you—
Nina, take it slow,
I’m behind you—
ENSEMBLE:
Oh no!
Oh no!
Oh no!
Oh no!
(A flashlight at the bodega. SONNY appears outside, holding a baseball bat, protecting the storefront.)
KEVIN:
Calling all taxis!
KEVIN, USNAVI:
Everyone relax
Please.
KEVIN:
Calling all taxis!
KEVIN, USNAVI:
Everyone relax
Please.
SONNY:
What’s going on?
What’s going on?
Suddenly I find
The electricity is
Gone. 9
What’s going on?
What’s going on?
I gotta guard
The store, make
Sure that
Nothing’s going
Wrong!
MEN:
Oh no!
Oh no!
Oh no!
Oh no!
BENNY:
Somebody better
Open these
goddamn
Doors!
SONNY:
What’s going on?
What’s going on?
ENSEMBLE:
Oh no!
VANESSA:
Somebody better
Open these
goddamn
Doors!
Gotta find Usnavi,
Tell him what is
Going on.
Oh no!
BENNY:
Somebody better
Open these
goddamn
Doors!
Nothing is on!
Nothing is on!
Oh no!
VANESSA:
And I can’t find
Usnavi…
And I can’t find
Usnavi…
No! No!
No!
BENNY:
Nina, where’d
You go?
Nina, where’d
You go?
Nina, where’d
You go?
I can’t find
You!
USNAVI:
Vanessa,
Vanessa,
Vanessa,
I gotta go…
NINA:
Has anyone
seen Benny?
Benny…
VANESSA:
Usnavi,
Help me!
Nina, where’d
You go?
Nina, where’d
You go?
Nina, where’d
You go?
I can’t find
You!
Vanessa,
Vanessa,
Vanessa,
I gotta go…
Has anyone
seen Benny?
Benny…
Usnavi,
Help me!
KEVIN:
Please find Nina!
Find Camila!
If you see my family,
bring
Them home!
VANESSA:
Find my way home
Usnavi, help me!
SONNY:
We are powerless
We are powerless!
You left me alone!
SONNY, WOMEN, CAMILA, PIRAGUA GUY, MAN: We are powerless
We are powerless!
GRAFFITI PETE: Yo! Yo! They throwin’ bottles in the street!
People lootin’ and shootin’.
Sonny, they wanna see a robbery
We gotta keep movin’!
SONNY: Naw, man, I can’t leave, we gotta guard the store!
GRAFFITI PETE: They gonna bombard the store until you ain’t got a store no more!
SONNY: I got a baseball bat on a rack in the back.
GRAFFITI PETE (Opening a book bag): I got a couple Roman candles, we can distract the vandals!
SONNY: Hey yo, I see some thugs comin’, man, we gonna get jacked up!
(GRAFFITI PETE rushes out of the store holding a Roman candle, SONNY behind him wielding a bat.)
GRAFFITI PETE: Gimme a light, I’ll be right back. Back up—
GRAFFITI PETE, SONNY: Back up, back up!
(We hear an explosion.)
CAMILA, NINA, CARLA, ABUELA
CLAUDIA, WOMEN, USNAVI, BENNY,
SONNY, KEVIN, GRAFFITI PETE, MEN:
Look at the fireworks…
Light up the night sky…
Look at the fireworks…
Light up the night sky…
VANESSA, DANIELA, WOMEN,
PIRAGUA GUY, MEN:
Look at the fireworks…
Look at the fireworks fly!
Light up the night sky!
Look at the fireworks fly!
Light up the night sky! 10
SONNY:
It’s late and this grate won’t come down!
Come down!
SONNY:
It’s late and
This grate
Won’t come
Down!
We are
Powerless,
We are
Powerless.
We are
Powerless,
We are
Powerless!
Powerless!
CARLA:
Oh God, so much
Panic
The crowd was
Manic with
Everybody
Screaming and
Shoving
And shouting
And slapping
And everyone’s
Frantic, what’s
Happening with
You?
We are
Powerless!
We are
Powerless!
DANIELA:
Mira mi amor
Hazme un favor
Despiértale
Abuela
Y a lo mejor
Ella tiene una
Vela.
¡Estuve
Bailando
Cuando vino el
Apagón.
Aquí hay gente
Pero no sé
Quienes son! 11
MEN:
We are
Powerless!
We are
Powerless!
PIRAGUA GUY, MEN:
Powerless.
VANESSA, WOMEN:
We are powerless,
We are powerless!
(More explosions. USNAVI enters his apartment.)
ENSEMBLE: Look at the fireworks…
USNAVI: Abuela, are you all right?
ENSEMBLE: Light up the night sky…
ABUELA CLAUDIA: The stars are out tonight!
ENSEMBLE: Look at the fireworks…
USNAVI: You’re not alone tonight…
ENSEMBLE: Light up the night sky…
USNAVI, ABUELA CLAUDIA: You’re/I’m not alone tonight…
ABUELA CLAUDIA: Usnavi, please promise me you’ll guard this with your life.
(She hands USNAVI a brown paper bag. He looks inside.)
USNAVI: Abuela, I’ve never seen— 12
USNAVI, ABUELA CLAUDIA: This much money in my life!
(BENNY finds NINA on the street.)
BENNY: Nina, there you are!
NINA: I’ve gotta go!
BENNY: I’ll get you out of here tonight!
NINA: I don’t need anything!
Tonight, I can find my way home—
BENNY: Then find your way home! 13
(She stops.)
NINA: Without you—
NINA, BENNY: Without you—
(She runs away from him.)
GROUP 1 (USNAVI, KEVIN, SONNY, GRAFFITI PETE, MEN, VANESSA, CAMILA, ABUELA CLAUDIA, WOMEN): Look at the fireworks…
GROUP 2 (PIRAGUA GUY, MEN, DANIELA, CARLA, WOMEN): Look at the fireworks…
GROUP 1: Look at the fireworks…
GROUP 2: Look at the fireworks . . .
COMPANY: Light up the night sky…
CARLA, DANIELA, PIRAGUA GUY, MEN: Light up the night sky…
COMPANY: En Washington…
Look at the fireworks…
Look at the fireworks…
VANESSA, CAMILA, CARLA, WOMEN, ABUELA CLAUDIA, DANIELA, SONNY, PIRAGUA GUY, MEN, USNAVI, KEVIN: Light up the night sky…
