WBUR and NPR - On Point with Tom Ashbrook » Latino culture

In the Heights (Rebroadcast)

Wen Stephenson — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 16:00:58 +0000

In The Heights

We listen back to a talk with the creators of the Tony award- winning salsa, hip-hop, Latino smash, Broadway’s “In the Heights.”

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In the Heights

Wen Stephenson — Tue, 27 May 2008 15:00:00 +0000

On the journey of American assimilation, to have your culture’s ticket punched on Broadway seems almost mandatory. Whether it’s “Fiddler on the Roof” or “Raisin in the Sun,” the Broadway embrace is a milestone.

The hottest ticket on Broadway right now may mark that moment for Latino Americans. The rap-salsa-merengue extravaganza “In the Heights” is up for thirteen Tony awards.

“By Latinos about Latinos” is the headline. It’s an all-American story to a new beat.

This hour, On Point: We talk with two of the creators of “In the Heights.”

-Tom Ashbrook

Guests:

Thomas Kail, director of “In the Heights,” he’s nominated for the 2008 Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical. He is co-founder and artistic director of the not-for-profit theater company Back House Productions.

Quiara Hudes, bookwriter for “In the Heights,” she’s nominated for the 2008 Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical. Her play “Elliot, A Soldier’s Fugue,” was a finalist for the 2007 Pulitzer Prize.

Novelist Junot Diaz (Rebroadcast)

Wen Stephenson — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 15:00:00 +0000

Son of the Dominican Republic and New Jersey, Junot Diaz made a huge splash a decade ago with a tough, vivid collection of short stories on Latino ghetto life called “Drown.” Now, Diaz is back with a debut novel that is knocking the socks off critics.

“The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao” tracks one heart-torn family from surreally brutal dictatorship in Santo Domingo to a sexy, urban, sci-fi, Spanglish tragicomedy in the USA. Time magazine calls it “astoundingly great.”

This hour, On Point: Junot Diaz and “Oscar Wao.”

-Tom Ashbrook

Guests:

Junot Diaz, author of the new book “The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao” and the best-selling short story collection “Drown.”

Novelist Junot Diaz

Wen Stephenson — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 15:00:00 +0000

This hour, On Point: Junot Diaz and “Oscar Wao.”

-Tom Ashbrook

Guest:

Junot Diaz, author of the new book “The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao” and the best-selling short story collection “Drown.”