How similar is the In the Heights film to the Broadway show?
Lin Manuel Miranda's first Broadway show has been adapted into a brand new film.
Before Lin Manuel Miranda shot to global superstardom as the writer and star of Broadway sensation Hamilton, he'd already developed a stellar reputation thanks to his debut production: In the Heights.
Co-written with playwright and lyricist Quiara Alegría Hudes, the musical explores the lives of several Latinos living in the titular New York neighbourhood, complete with a colourful cast of supporting characters and several stunning song and dance numbers.
Now Miranda and Hudes have adapted their own stage show into a feature film – helmed by Crazy Rich Asians director Jon M. Chu – which arrives in cinemas just in time for summer.
But just how closely does the film stick to the original musical? Read on for everything you need to know.
How similar is the In the Heights film to the stage show?
Speaking to RadioTimes.com and other press at a Q&A prior to the film's release, Miranda explained that his favourite adaptations don't always stick 100 per cent to the original texts.
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Asked what makes a good movie musical, he responded, "The ones I like aren’t necessarily [like-for-like] adaptations of the original. One of my favourite movie musicals is Cabaret, Bob Fosse took enormous liberties in adapting the stage piece to the screen but what emerges on the screen is an almost more concentrated version of the themes.
"And I think in this endeavour a lot of the credit for our adaptation really goes to Quiara who took a head start in writing this incredible screenplay, and I think adapted a two-act show into a three-act structure pretty brilliantly and was incredibly courageous in the moves she made.
"And then the joy for me was the detail work, in this version of the blackout Usnavi and Vanessa run into each other, I get to write that piece of the song now, I never got the chance to write that in the previous incarnation."
So to put it another way, the film is largely very faithful to the show, but a few alterations have been made to the structure, and some minor additions have been made – such as the aforementioned scene between Usnavi (Anthony Ramos) and Vanessa (Melissa Barerra).
There are also a few characters who have been cut completely – most notably Camila, Nina's mother who acts as a peacemaker between her daughter and husband in the musical. This means there are some changes to Nina's storyline, with her reason for dropping out of university slightly altered – in the stage show she loses her scholarship after her grades drop due to working two jobs while in the film her reason for leaving stems from alienation and experiences of racism.
The film is set in the modern-day, rather than in 2005 when the show was originally written, so some other small changes have been made to bring everything up to date – such as references to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) immigration policy, with regards to Sonny's storyline, as well as mentions of microaggressions.
Another change brought in for the film concerns the framing device used to begin and end the movie – featuring Usnavi addressing his children on a Dominican Republic beach. This does not happen in the stage play, where naturally Usnavi is able to directly address the audience.
Read more: There's a syrupy earnestness to In the Heights – but it's hard to resist its charms
In terms of music, there is one brand new original song written specifically for the film – titled Home All Summer – while some lyrics of 96,000 were changed, such as a reference to Donald Trump being removed and replaced by Tiger Woods. Meanwhile, a few songs from the musical don't make it into the film, including Enough, Inútil, Sunrise, Hundreds of Stories, Atención, and Everything I Know.
According to Quiara Alegría Hudes, the biggest advantage of screen, as opposed to stage, is being able to have a balance between big, spectacular musical numbers and smaller, quieter character moments.
"When I think of my favourite movie musicals, I think of the opportunity to juxtapose tremendous vision in the musical numbers with very intimate moments," she explained.
"Like being honestly able to whisper a conversation, like what happens between Abuella and Nina in one of the very first scenes.
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"So the opportunity to get really big and also get really up close and personal. And I remember developing the screenplay, Jon and I going back and forth on how big we can get and how human we can get, always pushing those extremes to create that dynamism."
Whatever the changes, it appears that the original cast is on board with the new version, with Miranda revealing that he recently had a screening alongside both the film's cast and the Broadway cast.
"Hearing my first family, that Broadway family, scream at what they were witnessing that was... there were a lot of good moments and that was a really good one!" he explained.
In the Heights is released in UK cinemas on Friday 18th June 2021. Visit our Movies hub for all the latest news. Looking for something to watch tonight? Check out our TV Guide.
