Before Hamilton turned Lin-Manuel Miranda into an Academy Award-nominated, Emmy-winning household name, he was best known in theater circles for In the Heights, the New York City-set musical he wrote with Quiara Alegría Hudes. Since opening on Broadway in 2008, it’s been nominated for 13 Tonys, played all around the world, and has now been turned into a movie, directed by Jon M. Chu (Crazy Rich Asians).
“It’s a story of a block that was disappearing,” bodega owner Usnavi (played by Anthony Ramos) says in the lively trailer above. “In the barrio of Washington Heights, the streets were made of music.” They’re also made of synchronized dancing, apparently.
Here’s the official plot synopsis:
Lights up on Washington Heights… The scent of a cafecito caliente hangs in the air just outside of the 181st Street subway stop, where a kaleidoscope of dreams rallies this vibrant and tight-knit community. At the intersection of it all is the likable, magnetic bodega owner Usnavi, who saves every penny from his daily grind as he hopes, imagines and sings about a better life. In the Heights fuses Lin-Manuel Miranda’s kinetic music and lyrics with director Jon M. Chu’s lively and authentic eye for storytelling to capture a world very much of its place, but universal in its experience.
In the Heights, which stars Leslie Grace, Corey Hawkins, Dascha Polanco, Olga Merediz, Stephanie Beatriz, and Jimmy Smits, opens on June 26, 2020.
