Sidney Mitchell

Everyone should watch this documentary for the sake of all humanity.

With various friends, I watched this film six times while it was at our local theatre for two weeks and I would watch it another six times if it had been there for a month. The richness of the effort and all the superb human beings who collaborated to make it such a gift to humanity is astounding. My first thought: 'Wow. Do I miss dancing.' (I am a 71 year old arthritic person who had to give up dancing to R&B to save my knees.) I grew up in NYC, Philadelphia and Detroit. I am not a Latinx or African American but the music is universal and spiritual and is my music because it is for everybody. In regard to musical theatre, as a child I knew the entire scores to Show Boat, Porgy And Bess, South Pacific, Threepenny Opera, West Side Story, My Fair Lady and Fiddler On The Roof. All of those musicals speak to the issues of equality, justice, love, friendship, community, family and the joyful fulfillment of poetry, music, dancing and singing together as we all struggle to be mortals who must get by each and every day with as much dignity that we can muster. I am unashamed that I cry during movies and this one is especially now a part of me. I am so grateful that those currently under the age of 45 can create such beauty and wisdom together that far exceeds that of my generation and that is what is needed in this moment in the human experiment upon our precious planet. Bravo and thanks to all who gave us In The Heights and everybody's iconic elder Claudia. Patience & Faith to us all.