Interview: Chatting with Benji Santiago of IN THE HEIGHTS at The Muny

When the lights go up on Washington Heights at The Muny next Friday it will be the break of a lifetime for a young actor. Benji Santiago will take center stage to rap the well-known opening line from Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Tony winning IN THE HEIGHTS.  

There are few similarities between Santiago and Miranda. Both are Puerto Rican Americans. Miranda started writing “IN THE HEIGHTS” when he was in college and burst onto the Broadway scene at the age of 27 when “IN THE HEIGHTS” debuted on Broadway. Santiago, in his early 20’s, is still in college and will be starring in The Muny premiere of IN THE HEIGHTS. For Santiago, this is the stuff that dreams are made of.  

Santiago calls Lin-Manuel Miranda one of his biggest inspirations. He started listening to the Broadway cast recording of IN THE HEIGHTS when he was sixteen. “It’s been my favorite show since then,” he said. Santiago saw his first production of IN THE HEIGHTS when he was a junior in high school. That is right about the same time he discovered his love for theatre. He shared that from the first time he heard the recording he has been envisioning himself playing the role that made Miranda famous. 

Santiago said that Miranda’s works showed him there was opportunity for him in musical theatre. His comments emphasize the importance of representation in the Arts. “Seeing IN THE HEIGHTS really changed my perspective,” he said, “I knew there was at least one place for me in musical theatre.”  

Santiago said he was “over-the-moon" when his agent told him that they were presenting his resume to The Muny. He said, “it was just a dream to even been seen by the casting team here and be considered for the role of Usnavi.”   

He told Broadway World that he received a request for a taped audition. “I taped the first song and a couple of scenes and sent it in.” He continued, ‘I didn’t hear anything for quite a while and one Wednesday night I got an e-mail from my agent telling me I was in the mix for this role.”   

A few weeks later Santiago had to travel to New York City for another audition. While he was there, he received a phone call from his agent asking him to extend his trip. The Muny casting team was going to be in the city, and they wanted to see him for an in-person audition. The young, scrappy, and hungry Santiago exclaimed, “Of course I’ll stay two more days! I’ll call a friend and sleep on their couch!”  

He said that he prepared, went to the audition, met with the team, and was asked to sing. Santiago launched into sixteen bars of Elton John’s “Crocodile Rock.”  “When I finished William (the director) thanked me and shook my hand.” he said, “The next day I received a phone call, and they told me the news that I was going to be The Muny’s Usnavi!” 

Santiago talked about what a terrific experience it was auditioning for the Muny. He said, “Sometimes audition rooms can be cold and harsh, but The Muny casting team was warm, welcoming, and made me feel so comfortable.” That is the same experience he is having now that he has arrived on The Muny campus to start rehearsals.  

With wide eyes Santiago said, “Everyone always talks about how huge The Muny is, and it's so true!” He feels like this is a once in a lifetime opportunity to star in a show in an 11,000-seat theater. Knowing that expectations would be high, he arrived in St. Louis prepared. He said that he is finding the fast rehearsal process to be manageable. “I’m working diligently, having fun with it, and the whole opportunity has been just a blast,” he smiled.  

Santiago has been calling his mom and filling her in about the entire process. He has been telling her how much fun he is having. The lock screen on is phone is a picture of his mother in front of Broadway’s Richard Rodgers Theatre when she traveled to New York to see the original production of IN THE HEIGHTS.

“There were a lot of happy tears when I told my parents and grandparents that I’d booked this job,” he said. Santiago was beaming as he shared that his parents, grandparents, twin sister, and younger brother are traveling to St. Louis to be in the audience on opening night.  

It is not lost on Santiago that he and his co-stars have a major responsibility to bring the premiere of IN THE HEIGHTS to The Muny audience. It is a youthful, age-appropriate cast playing the leading roles of the young twenty-something Usnavi, Nina, Benny, Vanessa, and Sonny. 

“IN THE HEIGHTS is a story can help with cultural appreciation, but that’s not the point of the show,” he said. “It is a show is about community, family, love, and putting other people’s needs ahead of your own.” Santiago calls the poly-rhythmic music genre unique for a musical theatre score, but he said everyone identifies with the story’s universal themes.  

The IN THE HEIGHTS score includes the song “96,000” about a large lottery jackpot. In the show, the people of Washington Heights dream about what they would do with the money if they were lucky enough to win. Santiago knows he won the casting lottery. He is getting get his shot to star in his dream role on a grand scale.  

On Friday night the lights will go up on Santiago’s young career. He will take the Muny stage in front of his family and ten thousand St. Louisans as he raps the words, “Lights Up on Washington Heights.” 

IN THE HEIGHTS, starring Benji Santiago, opens at the Muny on August 9, 2024. It continues nightly through August 15th. Click the link below to purchase tickets. 

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