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Nashville Scene apologizes for ‘In the Heights’ review that was accidentally posted

avatar by Published Mar. 28, 2011 11:05 am

Nashville Scene
Many readers called it racist. “First drafts are places for writers to work out ideas that should often be discarded before they ever see the light of day,” writes Scene editor Jim Ridley. “Instead, the uncorrected piece was published online, and many commenters were offended by the descriptive language in the piece — concerns that were raised with the author during the editing process, and which, to his credit, he apologized for and agreed to change.” || Alejandro Morales: “Holy racism, Batman!” || Marisela: “‘Brown and leggy’ says it all.”

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  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Mike-Saunders/603809847 Mike Saunders

    Wow. Just…wow.

    The original was removed from the main site but remains on the mobile site. It’s worth reading, even as a “first draft.”

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    What will the American musical do for thematic material when the melting pot has completely turned to ethnic mush and no group is really underprivileged? We might be there already, in fact, which makes pondering sitting through this Broadway “blockbuster” a comme ci, comme ça proposition. In the Heights won four 2008 Tony Awards, but it’s getting harder and harder to know if that’s a Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval or a rubber stamp that has to be affixed dutifully to some show or another every year. Creator Lin-Manuel Miranda’s story — book by Quiara Alegría Hudes — tells of a vibrant community in New York’s Washington Heights neighborhood, “where the coffee from the corner bodega is light and sweet, the windows are always open and the breeze carries the rhythm of three generations of music.” In other words, an excuse to employ dynamic youthful minority performers who dance and sing and holler to a lot of salsa music and groove on lyrics about Latin loving and partying. Oh yeah, and also about fulfilling their hopes and dreams in the Promised Land of America (specifically, New York City, where the L train plays a lullaby). This fest of semi-huddled masses yearning to be free encompasses Dominicans, Puerto Ricans, Mexicans, Cubans, etc., making it an easy leap to presume their forebears were the inspiration for half the cast of the original production of West Side Story. All that exuberance is great — yet the horns alone might give you a headache. But if you like your ingénues brown and leggy and your music “hot, hot, hot,” this is the show for you.
    — Martin Brady
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