They say America is a country of immigrants. And it is that immigrant experience that we explore and celebrate on Crossover this week. A smash Broadway hit,In the Heightsdetails the life and survival of a family and their pursuit of happiness in the “promised land” of America. Set in the Washington Heights barrio of New York City, the characters wrestle with the heartache and the joys and the drama of “making it” in a country that is not their native land.
Philadelphia native and Pulitzer Prize-winning author, Quiara Alegria Hudes, received a Tony Award for her book of the show, and she recalls the other honors and the differences in the creative process. In The Heights will be at the Walnut Street Theatre from September 3rd though October 20th.
In the same vein, we reprise a conversation from 2010 with virtuoso guitarist Manuel Barrueco. A native of Cuba, he studied at the esteemed Esteban Salas Conservatory in Cuba, came to the United States as part of the Cuban exodus, enrolled in Baltimore’s, Peabody Institute, and in 1974 became the first classical guitarist to win the Concert Artists Guild award. He has recorded over a dozen albums for EMI and with every major orchestra along with Deep Purple and The Police.