Last week, Warner Bros released another trailer for the highly-anticipated film adaptation of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s celebrated musical.
This is the fourth trailer for In The Heights after the pandemic caused the film to be delayed from last June. Now, we are months away from finally seeing this Broadway show on the big screen.
In The Heights adapts the stage musical of the same name by Quiara Alegría Hudes and Lin-Manuel Miranda. Like Hamilton, Miranda modernises the musical by including hip-hop, salsa, merengue and soul music. The story follows multiple characters in the largely Dominican neighbourhood of Washington Heights in New York City.
Judging by the trailers, the transition to the big screen is set to be magical, using effects that can’t be replicated on stage. For instance, in one moment we see Corey Hawkins and Leslie Grace dance on the side of a building in their roles of Benny and Nina. If the audience thought the Hamilton movie was great—a film that was essentially a recording of the stage performance—they should prepare to be amazed by this adaptation.
This recent trailer, titled ‘Change the World’, includes shots we’ve seen before in previous trailers. It is a lot shorter than those trailers. This one begins with picturesque views of Washington Heights. A pan across the street as the sun is setting paints the buildings in a glorious orange tint. Children runn across the street to play with water shooting up in perfect arches from fire hydrants. The trailer is filled with stunning visuals, daubed in bright colours.
There is also a nice cameo by Miranda himself. On stage, he played one of the main characters, Usnavi. In the film, however, Hamilton alumnus Anthony Ramos has that role. Instead, Miranda plays Piraguero, who has two songs in the original play.
What really makes the trailers so beautiful is the diversity on display. While musicals often have themes that relate to people of colour, the actual representation within the industry is not as prevalent. Seeing a musical film filled with Latinx and black actors makes the film as revolutionary, a similar feeling to watching recent films like Ryan Coogler’s Black Panther and Jon M. Chu’s Crazy Rich Asians. Coincidentally, Jon M. Chu is directing this adaptation. The representation also makes the quote from the trailer “Tell the world we are not invisible” even more significant.
In The Heights will be out in theatres on 18 June.
Words by Ayomikun Adekaiyero
Support The Indiependent
We’re trying to raise £200 a month to help cover our operational costs. This includes our ‘Writer of the Month’ awards, where we recognise the amazing work produced by our contributor team. If you’ve enjoyed reading our site, we’d really appreciate it if you could donate to The Indiependent. Whether you can give £1 or £10, you’d be making a huge difference to our small team.