In the Heights Returns to NYC as New York City Center’s 2026 Gala Presentation
The Tony-winning musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda and Quiara Alegría Hudes will launch City Center’s 2026–2027 season
(Artwork by Ben Wiseman)
What to Know
- New York City Center will open its 2026-2027 season with In the Heights as its Annual Gala Presentation, running October 28–November 8, 2026, including a gala benefit performance on opening night
- The Tony Award-winning musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda (music & lyrics) and Quiara Alegría Hudes (book) premiered on Broadway in 2008, won four Tony Awards including Best Musical and inspired a 2021 film adaptation
- David Mendizabál will direct the City Center production; casting and additional 2026–2027 season programming will be announced at a later date
It won’t be long until we get to see In the Heights again. New York City Center has announced the first production of its 2026-2027 season, kicking things off with Lin-Manuel Miranda and Quiara Alegría Hudes’ Tony-winning musical as its Annual Gala Presentation. The two-week run opens with a gala benefit performance on October 28 and will play through November 8, 2026. David Mendizabál, who helmed Mexodus off-Broadway, will direct.
Originally conceived while Miranda was a student at Wesleyan College, In the Heights premiered on Broadway in 2008, launching the multi-hyphenate into stardom and laying the groundwork for his subsequent work, Hamilton. Blending hip-hop, Latin rhythms and traditional Broadway sounds, In the Heights tells a multigenerational story about family, ambition and belonging. Miranda—who wrote the music and lyrics—originally starred as Usnavi, a Washington Heights bodega owner who dreams of returning to the Dominican Republic. Pulitzer Prize winner Hudes penned the book. In the Heights won four Tony Awards, including Best Musical, and was a finalist for the 2009 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Jon M. Chu directed a film adaptation of In the Heights in 2021 with Hamilton alum Anthony Ramos as Usnavi.
"I'm so happy that New York City Center gets to bring In The Heights back for New Yorkers, since it's a show that is very much about and for New Yorkers,” said Jenny Gersten, City Center's VP & Artistic Director, Musical Theater. “The musical captures the rhythms, resilience and richness of the communities that define this city and David is the perfect artist to bring this beloved show back to life.”
“City Center’s Annual Gala Presentations are an opportunity to celebrate the power of musical theater while raising vital funds that support everything we do,” said Michael S. Rosenberg, President & CEO. “In the Heights is a thrilling, vibrant work that speaks to audiences across generations and we’re proud to share this extraordinary production as part of our mission to make great art accessible to all.”
Casting and additional programming for the 2026–2027 season will be announced at a later date.
