In the Heights

[papeetepatrick]

I'll finally be getting around to seeing this next week, after listening to the CD dozens of times. They've told me they're not still seling out, but they're selling through about February here, I believe. It's been on National Tour since spring, 2009, I didn't even know that.

Just looked at the wiki entry and they are doing a film of it, so we can have a thread on this as with 'Sweeney Todd' and 'Nine', except it won't be controversial as with casting stars, etc., this show stands on its on, and I think it's good it's going quickly to film. I'll actually shell out to go see the film as well and see how the two compare, but am much more excited about seeing it in the theater, and in this case, I do prefer seeing the NY show. Usually I like seeing the LA Pantages productions just as well, it's more relaxed and they're much cheaper, but this is the rare New York Show, unlike 'Hairspray', which was just fine out there.

I've mentioned this show in a number of places on the board in the last year, but I don't recall anyone saying they'd seen it. Here's the wiki paragraph about the upcoming film, which I just heard of, and it's remarkably far along:

"On November 7, 2008, Universal Pictures announced that they plan to adapt the musical as a feature film for release in 2011. According to Variety, Kenny Ortega will direct the musical and Mark Klein will modify the script.[10] Original Broadway cast member and creator Lin-Manuel Miranda will reprise his role as Usnavi in the future release of In the Heights. The feature film is set to begin principal photography in August 2010.[11] In a recent video interview with Broadway World, when asked about the current status of the film, Ortega said: "We're pretty far along, we've been working on it for about a year now, transitioning it from a Broadway musical to a film musical, having a lot of fun working with Lin-Miranda, and I'm hoping that, y'know, that we're just weeks away from being given an opportunity to start pre-production, maybe early next year. That's what my hope is, I really wanna do the movie".

[mmded]

I have seen it in New York and really enjoyed it. I would see it again with no hesitation.

[YouOverThere]

I saw In the Heights when it passed through Denver, and haven't figured out what other people see in it that I don't.

[abatt]

I saw In the Heights when it passed through Denver, and haven't figured out what other people see in it that I don't.

I saw it when Lin Manuel Miranda was the lead on Broadway. I didn't expect to like the show, since I do not listen to rap or hip hop. However, he was a charming, charismatic presence on stage, and I really enjoyed the show. Maybe the touring cast isn't quite strong enough to have the same impact.

[papeetepatrick]

abatt--there are some hip-hop/rap elements, but it's mostly salsa/meringue/bachada, although there are some real 'pure Broadway show' sounds and a more traditional ballad or two.

I was expecting to love this, but you have to see it to know how much. I haven't ever enjoyed a Broadway show more.

With 'Urinetown' a big hit in 2001 and 'In the Heights' even bigger, I think I have some sort of theory of how something of what some of us loved about Old Broadway will continue, and we can live with the fact that we are now in an era of post-Sondheim/, post-Lloyd Webber/Schonburg, and post-Disney (to a lesser degree)--although all these have hauntological powers that satisfy various demographics. My interest in Sondheim is pretty much limited to 'Funny Thing Happened', 'Company', and 'Follies', and his lyrics for 'Gypsy' and 'West Side Story' earlier, and then it goes into a realm that I find neurotic, whiney, often pretentious, and even limp. But he dominated for 25-30 years in a certain niche. The other two major forces I've never paid any attention to, but people like those too, and they bring in tons of money, esp. from tourists, and run forever. During the years since we had lots of book musicals, I liked a few things, in the 80s 'Nine', and in the 90s, Cy Coleman did a wonderful end-of-career explosion, with 'Will Rogers Follies', 'City of Angels' and 'The Life'.

'In the Heights' is the most miraculous imaginable show, libidinally driven with fantastic energy from start to finish. I think it's the work of a genius, and that something so totally unexpected--in a small theater with only one set (which is perfect, and the corner stores look exactly like the ones in the real Heights do) on a smallish stage. I don't think the theater (the Richard Rodgers) is any larger than the Roundabout. It used to be the 46th St. Theater, I hadn't known that, and had worked there for 6 months in 'No No Nanette'.

All the songs are good, full of energy, they are from the heart, the characters are all genuine, they are like the Puerto Ricans and Cubans and Dominicans I know in the real Washington Heights, I totally love this show. And you don't have to wait long before there's another song and a big dance, whether 'Barrio', or 'The Club'/'Blackout', a delightful song called 'Tell Me Something I Don't Know' by the hairdresser girls, a love song 'Sunrise'. It's like a fantastically contrapuntal tapestry of life in a neighborhood, a living assemblage or hacceity, as Deleuze might say.

Along with 'Urinetown', it makes me know that the Broadway musical is no deader than when first proclaimed in the late 60s, early 70s, but there just will be these unexpected 'biological sports' to happen when somebody has an idea in some remote place and figures out how to turn into something huge. And 'In the Heights' really IS a phenomenon.

I'm sure it will make a great movie, and expanding it shouldn't take away from the divine local colour, esp. if they do some location shooting. Anyway, Mr. Miranda will be in charge of a lot of it, and will star, so it's going to be worth it to see on a movie screen; film adaptations of B'way shows I usually skip, even when they go to dvd.

The box office said they're only taking orders through a couple more months, so I advise anybody who wants to see this original production to do so this fall, the house was well-populated but not packed. There were at least 6 whole classrooms-full of kids there: This must be a popular kind of thing to do, and this show is so adult-friendly, kid-friendly, sophistication-friendly, populist-friendly, tourist-friendly, native-New Yorker-friendly, that it was a kind of festival, and I didn't even care if the kids made some noise (and they loved the show so much that they were never annoying at all, just added to the joy of the whole occasion.) But you can sit in the cheap seats and be still very close to the stage here, unlike in the theaters where we see ballet and opera. It's on a continuing big tour, so go wherever it is, although it's going to probably be best here.

[abatt]

It was recently announced that In the Heights will close on Broadway in early January 2011. Lin Manuel is returning to the role of Usnavy for the final 2 weeks of the show.

[papeetepatrick]

Thanks, abatt! It was only two weeks ago that I saw it, and they hadn't quite got ready to announce it yet, although they gave me indications twice it might close in New York. If I could have waited, I could have seen him do it, but I could hardly have been happier with what I did see. Frankly, Usnavi is not that big a role in terms of aggressively hogging the spotlight (this surprised me), although I imagine Miranda will give it much more electricity (Kyle Beltran was good, but not as high-energy as one might have wanted )--esp. since this will pack the houses again as the show closes (I wouldn't be surprised if those 2 weeks are already sold out.) The roles of Nina, Benny and Vanessa are quite as prominent (and just watching it, I might have thought Nina's role was given the most attention.) Also, Usnavi doesn't have very explicit romantic scenes , although he is in love with Vanessa and they are in the number 'The Club; and he and Daniela help her out with money and co-signing for her Village apt. In other words, the real romantic scene is with Nina and

Benny, not Usnavi and Vanessa, which was sort of unusual.