In the Heights (2021, PG-13)

It’s finally here! It was a real disappointment not to get this movie last summer (although the early release of the filmed version of Hamilton was awfully nice consolation,) so it’s a joy to have it come out at last. While I wouldn’t say it quite lives up to all the hopes I had for it, it’s an extremely-solid movie musical that brings back my memories of seeing the show on Broadway in 2009.

The nuts and bolts of the story are fairly simple.  Set in Washington Heights, a Latino neighborhood in northern Manhattan, the show follows its residents over the course of a sweltering heat wave.  Everything and everyone is in flux; all along the block, people are considering “packing up and picking up” for different reasons.  For instance, bodega owner Usnavi longs to find his roots back in the Dominican Republic.  Daniela and Carla, the insatiable gossips from the salon, struggle to stay afloat as their rent keeps increasing.  Bright, hardworking Nina has just returned from college, and the site of home makes her wonder where she really ought to be.  It’s a story of love, dreams, and family that bursts with life.

Movie musicals often fall into one of a few traps. 1) It feels embarrassed to be a musical and downplays that side of it to its detriment. 2) It feels like someone just slapped a couple cameras in front of the stage show, but without the electricity of the live performances and the audience, it appears listless onscreen. 3) It’s stuffed with big-name actors whose singing mostly ranges from decent to awkward to what-were-they-thinking? By and large, In the Heights dodges all of those pitfalls. Jon M. Chu, whose work I loved in Crazy Rich Asians and who comes from a Step Up background, directs the musical numbers with flair, excitement, and personality. I love the homages, both large and small, to classic movie musicals, and many of the songs really just leap off the screen.

I especially want to highlight the bouncy precision of the opening number, the (literally-)splashy spectable of “96,000” staged at a community pool, the cool use of lighting for “Blackout,” the beautifully-representative ensemble dancers who create the flashbacks in “Paciencia y Fe,” and the magical romance of “When the Sun Goes Down.” Chu approaches the songs in vibrant, eye-catching ways that use plenty of conventions of musical theatre while still employing a distinctly cinematic language. It’s a really marvelous feat. Also, importantly, he does really well with handling Lin-Manuel Miranda’s musical penchant for overlapping melodies for triumphant climaxes. As songs like “96,000” and “Blackout” crescendo with easily six or seven different melodies layered on top of one another, Chu guides our eyes and ears throughout in a way that captures the overpowering wall of interwoven music and never lets it collapse into a confused jumble.

In comparison to the wonderfully-shot song sequences, the dialogue scenes suffer in comparison. In the Heights has a bit of a flimsy book to begin with, and while there’s some updating to the screenplay for the adaptation, not all the changes enhance the story. There are little things here and there that I like, and it’s interesting to see how certain story beats still work despite being reshuffled a bit. But Nina’s story in particular becomes rather muddled due to changes/cuts, and several important points of conflict are excised without putting something of similar weight in their place, which leaves the screenplay feeling a little drab. Again, it’s all the more noticeable because so many of the songs are done so well.

I’m highly in favor of the cast. My heart still belongs to the OBC, but I appreciate the care that went into building a cast that includes Broadway vets, familiar faces, and newcomers. Standouts for me include the following: Anthony Ramos (John Laurens/Phillip Hamilton in Hamilton) holds it down as Usnavi, playing him with a charming/loveably-awkward everyman energy. Corey Hawkins (Dr. Dre from Straight Outta Compton) is a great Benny, super personable and in great voice, a grounded romantic lead. Gregory Diaz IV, who’s new to me, makes for a wonderful Sonny, equal parts funny and heartfelt. And of course, you can’t go wrong with Olga Merediz updating her Tony-nominated performance as Abuela Claudia for the big screen. The cast also includes Daphne Rubin-Vega (the original Mimi Marquez!), Stephanie Beatriz, Dascha Polanco from Orange is the New Black, Jimmy Smits, and cameos from Lin-Manuel Miranda and Christopher Jackson. I’m not familiar with either Leslie Grace or Melissa Barrera, but both of them are engaging as Nina and Vanessa.

Warnings

Language, sexual references, drinking, and thematic elements.

In the Heights: Songs 21-23

My final In the Heights songs post.  There are many qualities that come to mind with Lin-Manuel Miranda’s music – appealing melodies, intricate rhymes, sly references, fantastic melodic layering – but for me, one of the main ones has always been “heart.”  These last three songs from the show offer that in spades, pressed into the lyrics and folded into the melodies themselves.  Hamilton, I’m sure, will always be regarded as the phenom, but In the Heights holds my particular affection for introducing me to this stunning composer/lyricist.

“Champagne” – I love this song, a beautifully-sweet number for Usnavi and Vanessa to finally reckon with what’s between them.  The way they know and understand each other is fantastic, and I love that, as hilarious as Usnavi’s struggles against the champagne bottle are, Vanessa sees what’s really going on.

Best line:  “You get everyone addicted to / Your coffee and off you go.” – “Vanessa, I don’t know why / You’re mad at me.” – “I wish I was mad - / I’m just too late.”

“When the Sun Goes Down” – Nina and Benny’s final song together.  Like much of the last section of the show, it’s not so much an ending as a breath, the two preparing to go their separate ways but still planning to be together.  Stripped-down but effective, I particularly love the mixing of their two voices.

Best line:  “And I’ll think of you every night / At the same time-” – “When the sun goes down.”

“Finale” – Fantastic close to the show.  The cast blends the overlapping melodies beautifully, and Usnavi’s opening passage and triumphant capper are both excellent.  The entire “I’m home” sequence is really gorgeous, which, before encountering the show back in 2008, was something I’d never really imagined saying about a hip-hop song.

Best line:  “And if not me, who keeps our legacies?”

In the Heights: Songs 16-20

There’s a little variety, but for the most part, this is the heartbreaking portion of the second act.  Doesn’t get as bad as Hamilton’s, but there’s some serious sadness going on here – “Everything I Know” has been known to rip my heart out on multiple occasions (spoilers.)

“Carnaval del Barrio” – Daniela leads the neighborhood in a boisterous carnaval number – partly a neighborhood celebration, partly a last hurrah for the soon-to-be-changing block, and partly an outlet for a lot of plot reveals to come out.  I especially love Piragua Guy’s part in Spanish and the exchanges between Usnavi and Sonny.

Best lyric:  “Maybe you’re right, Sonny. / Call in the coroners! / Maybe we’re powerless / A corner full of foreigners.”

“Atencíon” –This number is short but affecting; it shows Kevin having his drivers get the word out on Abuela Claudia’s passing.  There’s something in there that shows the strength of their community, that the limo drivers will pass slowly through the neighborhood, making sure everyone knows what’s happened.

Best lyric:  “Atención.  Atención. / Roll down your windows. / Turn up your radios. / Un momento, por favor.”

“Alabanza” – A quiet requiem for Abuela Claudia.  Usnavi begins with a rambling, grief-stricken eulogy, and then Nina comes in with the simple, mournful refrain of, “Alabanza, Doña Claudia, Señor.”  Spare, but beautifully effective.

Best lyric:  “Alabanza means to raise this thing to God’s face / And to sing, quite literally, ‘Praise to this.’”

“Everything I Know” – After Abuela Claudia’s passing, Nina reflects on the past, her own and that of the entire block, on the things and people who came before her and made her who she is.  This beautifully contemplative solo is a thanks to those who formed her and a promise to be worth it.

Best line:  “On the day they ran, / Did she dream of endless summer? / Did her mother have a plan? / Or did they just go? / Did somebody sit her down and say, / ‘Claudia, get ready / To leave behind everything you know.’”

“Piragua (Reprise)” – And here it is, a reprieve from the sadness and loss.  Piragua Guy’s triumph against a bigger and shinier business – in this joyful reprise, he revels in his victory and repeats his motto to just “keep scraping by” until hard work is rewarded.

Best line:  “It’s hotter than the islands are today, / And Mister Softee’s truck has broken down. / And here come all his customers my way - / I told you, I run this town!”

In the Heights: Songs 11-15

No big-ticket numbers in this group of songs, which straddle the first and second acts, but there’s some solid stuff here.  Nice variety, a great Act I closer, and a moving, sneak-attack solo from a character who isn’t very prominent in the show.

“The Club” – Nice scene-song, bringing a lot of the issues of the first act to a head.  Conflicts have just bubbled over in the previous scene, and what’s supposed to be an escape, the club, only results in more clashes (side note:  it makes me think of “the gym’s neutral territory” from West Side Story, and how well that work out.)  I especially like the confrontation between Nina and Benny, and Usnavi’s nervousness around Vanessa is as hilarious as it is sweet.

Best lyric:  “Let me get an amaretto sour / For this ghetto flower. / How are you so pretty? / You complete me. / You had me at hello. / You know you need me, / Truly, madly, deeply.”

“Blackout” – The Act I finale is less about theme and more about plot – all the characters are caught in the chaos of a massive blackout, and the resulting tumult sets up several second-act complications.  Still, it’s technically masterful.  The song juggles numerous threads and characters, layering melodies on melodies that come together for a gorgeous climax at the end.

Best lyric:  There aren’t many lyrics that particularly stand out here, but I really like the dual meanings of the repeated line, “We are powerless, / We are powerless.”

“Sunrise” – After the end-of-Act-I chaos, opening on such a gentle number like “Sunrise” is a neat move.  In the afterglow of the rising sun, Nina helps Benny practice his Spanish and they both wonder what this means for them next.  The bilingual call-and-respone in the chorus is just gorgeous.

Best lyric:  “And how do you say always?” – “Para siempre…”

“Hundreds of Stories” – A lovely post-blackout duet for Usnavi and Abuela, remembering the past and looking forward to the future.  Interesting to see the normally-upbeat Usnavi really start to spiral, as his plans for returning to the home his parents told him about makes him think of their deaths and trying to carry on the family legacy alone.  Abuela’s gentle grounding reminder of who he is and where he came from his beautiful.

Best lyric:  “Remember the story of your name. / It was engraved on a passing ship / On the day your family came. / Your father said, ‘Usnavi, / That’s what we’ll name the baby.’” - “It really said, ‘U.S. Navy,’ but hey… / I worked with what they gave me okay…”

“Enough” – This is Camila’s showcase, her big “I’ve had it” moment with both Nina and Kevin.  She drops truth like only a long-suffering matriarch can, with exasperation that comes from a place of deep love.  It’s a song that snuck up on me; the melody and rhymes aren’t as immediately enticing as a lot of songs in the show, but whenever I listen to it, the emotion of the song hits me square in the chest.

Best lyric:  “For months you’ve lied to us. / What did we do… / To make you think we wouldn’t do / Anything and everything for you?”

In the Heights: Songs 6-10

Here’s the second installment of In the Heights songs.  Nice mix of lighter “flavor” numbers like “No Me Diga” and “Piragua” and more heavy-hitters like “96,000” (the song that, at the Tony’s, introduced me to Lin-Manuel Miranda as a composer) and “Paciencia y Fe” (some spoilers.)

“No Me Diga” – This is a nice bit of fluff, a fun character piece that nudges the main ships a little and circles around to Nina’s plot toward the end.  Great harmonies from the ladies, and I like the sense it creates of Daniela and Carla’s personalities.

Best lyric:  “Carla! / He’s packing a stretch limousine!”

“96,000” – Another “I want” song, this one features a good chunk of the main cast.  When it’s discovered that a winning lotto ticket was sold at Usnavi’s bodega, word spreads through the neighborhood and everyone imagines what they’d do with the money, funding everything from education to relocation to urban rehabilitation.

Best lyric:  “For real, though, / Imagine how it would feel goin’ real slow / Down the highway of life with no regrets, / And no breakin’ your neck / For respect / Or a paycheck.”

“Paciencia y Fe” – Just beautiful, a ballad of Abuela Claudia’s immigration from Cuba as a child.  The delicate balance between struggle and hope is so plaintive, and I like that Abuela highlights the positives and negatives of both La Vibora and New York.

Best lyric:  “Ay Mamá, what do you do / When your dreams come true? / I’ve spent my life / Inheriting dreams from you.”

“When You’re Home” – A lot going on here.  This is the first song between Nina and Benny that really starts moving them toward romance, and it also explores Nina’s feelings about being home, her continuing worry that she’s let her parents and the neighborhood down, and fond memories both of them have of growing up in Washington Heights.  I love Benny’s warmth and delight as he takes Nina on the trip down memory lane, and Nina’s solo in the second half of the song is great.

Best lyric:  “I used to think we lived at the top of the world / When the world was just a subway map.”

“Piragua” – Piragua Guy is such a great addition to this story.  He doesn’t even has a name, but he gets his own song (with a reprise, no less!), just one person in a bustling neighborhood working toward his goals bit by bit.  I love his exuberance and tenacity, which are introduced here and brought to fruition later in the show.

Best lyric:  “I keep scraping by the fading light. / Hey, pana, this is my town!”