In The Heights: The Meaning Behind The Winning Lottery Numbers
"96,000" is an electrifying musical number in the movie In the Heights, and it turns out there was special meaning behind the numbers on the winning $96,000 lottery ticket that the characters fantasize about during the song. Set at Hybridge Park's public pool facility, the scene features 500 extras and some impressive synchronized swimming. The big reveal of the winning digits happens at the very end of the song, and director Jon M. Chu had some specific reasons for the numbers that were picked.
After delays due to the ongoing pandemic, In the Heights released in theaters on June 10, and on HBO Max at no extra cost to subscribers. The film centers on the narrative of a group of characters living in New York's Washington Heights neighborhood, a place buzzing with big dreams but few opportunities. As the characters struggle to beat the heat and pursue their goals, they also recognize their ties to the vibrant community. In the Heights was based off the musical of the same name by Lin-Manuel Miranda and stars Anthony Ramos as narrator Usnavi de la Vega alongside Corey Hawkins, Leslie Grace, Melissa Barrera, Olga Merediz, Daphne Rubin-Vega, Gregory Diaz IV, and Jimmy Smits.
Since the winning lottery numbers aren't mentioned in the song "96,000," Chu had the liberty of picking them, and he chose ones that had a special meaning for him. He decided on the combination 5-7-16-26-33. At the time of filming for that scene, Chu's wife, Kristin Hodge, was pregnant with their second child, so the winning numbers had ties to some significant dates for his family. "Five is the month of my wife’s birth; 7-16 is my daughter’s birthday; 7-26 is my anniversary and also the day my son was due. Thirty-three is my favorite number," he explained (via Vulture). "Then when I showed my wife, she was like, 'You know our anniversary is the 27th, right? And the baby is due on the 27th." Fortunately, Jonathan Heights Chu - named after Washington Heights – was born on July 26, 2019, so the numbers worked out to correspond with each family member's birthday.
As for the big reveal of the numbers, the creative team behind In the Heights tossed around a few different ideas before the scene was shot. They considered cutting back and forth to Usnavi's bodega since that's where the winning ticket was sold, or having some of the actors arrange pool noodles into the winning digits. In the end, Graffiti Pete (Noah Catala) ends up spraying the numbers onto some towels using sunscreen and displaying them at the pool. Of course, the irony is that, after all the fanfare, no one present at the pool held the winning ticket. The reveal came much earlier in the Broadway musical In the Heights than it did in the film, which added some latent suspense for film-goers.
In addition to the lottery numbers, the number "96,000" itself has some meaningful history. When Miranda first wrote the song, he recalled some memories from his own time spent growing up in Inwood near Washington Heights. "My earliest memory, full stop, is going with my abuela to the bodega on Dyckman Street and eating candy as she played the numbers," Miranda said. He saw also 96th Street as an economic dividing line during his childhood, and he liked the idea of $96,000 being a significant sum of money – yet not quite enough to grant someone an early retirement. These personal touches surrounding just one musical number reflect both Chu and Miranda's passion for bringing In the Heights to life.
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