One very common type of character in musicals, or any form of media, for that matter, is the daydreamer. The one who would love to go somewhere, do something, be someone. These people are very common, but two that I’ve realized are very similar are Usnavi (In the Heights) and Jack Kelly (Newsies.) Their character development arcs as individuals in their respective plotlines are very reminiscent of each other. I’m going to explore this further in this post, but keep in mind that I have not seen In the Heights in person. THERE MIGHT BE SPOILERS!!!!
Let’s talk about Usnavi. He’s a poor citizen of Washington Heights, a mainly Hispanic suburb of New York City. His roots are in the Dominican Republic, which his parents emigrated from and opened a family bodega. He dreams throughout most of the show of moving back to DR, and escaping the financial burdens of his seemingly small life. Now, let’s look at Jack. He’s the leader of the newsies, he’s got almost nothing to show for his life, and he’s tired of his life of poverty in 1899 New York. He wants to get on a train to Santa Fe, where it’s “clean and green and pretty, and they went and made a city out of clay.” Seeing a pattern yet?
Both of these characters have a lot more than they realize. Usnavi has the bodega, Vanessa, Sonny, Benny, Nina, Daniela, Carla, and all the other residents of the barrio who care about and value him. Jack Kelly has the whole band of newsies who need him as their leader, he has his chosen family, he has Medda and the backdrops he paints, he has Katherine, who loves him more than anything. The turning points of both shows are when these two characters feel like nothing is working out for them, and everything is crashing down on them.
By the end, though, the arc completes itself and they realize that nowhere is better than where they are. Usnavi sees what the community has been through together and discovers that he doesn’t need to be where his roots are to be “home.” He looks around at all he has, and knows that he’s home exactly where he is. Jack does the same, seeing that if he leaves, he won’t have anything he worked for. With both of these arcs, the people that love them the most help them in their character developments.
Through these two stories, we see that love and those who surround you are what make a home- not the place itself. Can you think of any other characters whose character development has a similar theme? Let me know!
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