Anthony Ramos Will Step In As Usnavi In The Kennedy Center's IN THE HEIGHTS

Anthony Ramos, who originated the roles of John Laurens and Philip Hamilton in the Original Broadway Cast of Hamilton, will play Usnavi in the Broadway Center Stage production of In the Heights at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Joshua Grosso, previously announced in the role, has withdrawn from the musical due to a minor foot injury. Presented as a part of the inaugural season of Broadway Center Stage, a Kennedy Center-produced series of musicals in semi-staged concerts, In the Heights will run March 21-25, 2018 in the Eisenhower Theater.

Winner of four 2008 Tony Awards® including Best Musical and Best Score, In the Heights, Lin-Manuel Miranda's debut Broadway musical with a book by Pulitzer Prize winner Quiara Alegria Hudes, tells the universal story of a vibrant community in New York's Washington Heights neighborhood-a place 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. It's a community on the brink of change, full of hopes, dreams, and pressures, where the biggest struggles can be deciding which traditions you take with you and which ones you leave behind.

As previously announced, Vanessa Hudgens (Gigi at the Kennedy Center), will take on the role of Vanessa, with Ana Villafañe (On Your Feet!) as Nina, local D.C. actor Mateo Ferro as Sonny, Eden Espinosa (Wicked) as Daniela, J. Quinton Johnson (Hamilton) as Benny, original Broadway cast member Blanca Camacho as Camila, Saundra Santiago (Nine) as Abuela Claudia, Broadway cast member Rick Negron returning to the role of Kevin, Virgil Gadson (After Midnight) as Graffiti Pete, Arianna Rosario (On Your Feet!) as Carla, and original Broadway cast member Eliseo Roman reprising the role of Piragua Guy.

The production is directed and choreographed by Stephanie Klemons, who recently choreographed the NFL Super Bowl ad featuring Eli Manning and Odell Beckham Jr. An In the Heights original Broadway cast member and Assistant Dance Captain, Klemons has a long history with Miranda's work, having gone on to serve as Associate Choreographer for both Hamilton and Bring it On.

The In the Heights ensemble includes David Baida, Nico DeJesus, John Edwards, Hope Easterbrook, Rosie Fiedelman, Henry Gainza, Carlos Gonzalez, Morgan Marcell, April Ortiz, Khori Petinaud, and Voltaire Wade-Greene.

Broadway Center Stage is produced by Jeffrey Finn. The series began with the sold-out run of CHESS, the epic rock opera about love and political intrigue set against the backdrop of the Cold War as two superpowers attempt to manipulate an international chess championship for political ends. Following In the Heights, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, the Tony® and Pulitzer Prize­­-winning musical lampooning life on the corporate ladder, with an exhilarating score by Frank Loesser, will take to the Eisenhower Theater stage, June 6-8, to complete the season.

Broadway Center Stage: In the Heights will be performed Wednesday, March 21-Sunday, March 25, 2018 at 8 p.m. with matinees at 2 p.m. on Saturday, March 24 and Sunday, March 25. For more information please visit the Kennedy Center website, in-person at the Kennedy Center box office, or call (202) 467-4600 or (800) 444-1324.