06-13-2021, 04:01 PM
Lin Manuel Miranda's musical about life in Washington Heights called "In the Heights" now show on HBOMax. Comparisons to Hamilton are inevitable. It's also directed by John Chu who directed Crazy Rich Asians which I still watch all the time when it appears on the TV.
In the Heights is no Hamilton. It is more of straight ahead musical. Although there is dialogue, there isn't much. LMM really likes the songs to tell the story. And the story, to be honest isn't all the great. Lots of dreams about going back to the Dominican Republic. There is the bit about struggling at college. And there are the love stories. But the film takes a long time to even start telling those stories. There is a lot of set-up to be done before they even start to tell the story. The main love story between Usnavi and Vanessa takes forever to start and then is completely ridiculous. When the hot girl decides to go out with you, you go out with her to the exclusion of all us.
But it's a musical. Music trumps story. Great music and you have a great music. Well, I didn't think the songs were all that great. You can see Hamilton's ancestors in all these songs. The rap battles. The big blockbuster songs. They are all there but they don't have the same punch as Hamilton. Of course, without the shadow of Hamilton looming over this, it might have come off better for me.
Although, LMM is in the picture, he doesn't play the lead (He's aged out). But all the songs sound like LMM sings them. Again. LMM wrote the songs originally for him to sing and they play to his strength. Anthony Ramos who played Hamilton's son in Hamilton plays Usnavi in In the Heights. And oddly enough he sings like LMM. And I have never found LMM to be a particularly strong singer. The best scene for me in the movie is the cameo of Christopher Jackson, who played Washington, as the ice cream truck vendor who is breaking into LMM's shaved ice business.
Best of all, it's long. The show runs almost 2 1/2 hours. I felt every bit of them.
Fun Fact: West Side Story shot on the same locations as In the Heights at the same time. Occasionally their production vehicles would be in the other shows shots.
In the Heights is no Hamilton. It is more of straight ahead musical. Although there is dialogue, there isn't much. LMM really likes the songs to tell the story. And the story, to be honest isn't all the great. Lots of dreams about going back to the Dominican Republic. There is the bit about struggling at college. And there are the love stories. But the film takes a long time to even start telling those stories. There is a lot of set-up to be done before they even start to tell the story. The main love story between Usnavi and Vanessa takes forever to start and then is completely ridiculous. When the hot girl decides to go out with you, you go out with her to the exclusion of all us.
But it's a musical. Music trumps story. Great music and you have a great music. Well, I didn't think the songs were all that great. You can see Hamilton's ancestors in all these songs. The rap battles. The big blockbuster songs. They are all there but they don't have the same punch as Hamilton. Of course, without the shadow of Hamilton looming over this, it might have come off better for me.
Although, LMM is in the picture, he doesn't play the lead (He's aged out). But all the songs sound like LMM sings them. Again. LMM wrote the songs originally for him to sing and they play to his strength. Anthony Ramos who played Hamilton's son in Hamilton plays Usnavi in In the Heights. And oddly enough he sings like LMM. And I have never found LMM to be a particularly strong singer. The best scene for me in the movie is the cameo of Christopher Jackson, who played Washington, as the ice cream truck vendor who is breaking into LMM's shaved ice business.
Best of all, it's long. The show runs almost 2 1/2 hours. I felt every bit of them.
Fun Fact: West Side Story shot on the same locations as In the Heights at the same time. Occasionally their production vehicles would be in the other shows shots.
As a matter of fact, my anger does keep me warm