Tony Tuesday: In The Heights
Today we are throwing back to the late 00’s for some game changing hip-hop musical theatre. Today’s TONY Tuesday is:
’96,000’ from In the Heights at the 2008 TONY Awards ceremony.
In the Heights is a 2005 musical with music and lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda and a book by Quiara Alegria Hudes. The story is set in the Latino populated area of Washington Heights in New York and over the course of three days, tells the story of its inhabitants, their relationships, the familial dynamic of the borough, and the mystery of the winning lottery ticket sold at the local bodega.
The first draft of the show was written by Lin-Manuel when he was attending his Sophomore year at college. The rap, salsa and hip-hop style of the show made it differ vastly from most musicals that had ever been seen before. This attracted the attention of some of the college’s alumni, amongst them Director Thomas Kail. They informed Miranda that they wanted to expand the 80-minute version that was showcased at Wesleyan University to a full-scale musical, with a view of getting it to Broadway. A few years and redrafts later, book writer Hudes came on board in 2004.
The new version of In the Heights premiered in Connecticut at the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center in 2005 under the direction of Kail and musical direction by Alex Lacamoire. The cast included Javier Munoz as Usnavi, Natalie Cortez as Nina, Christopher Jackson as Benny, Sheena Marie Ortiz as Vanessa, Doreen Montalvo as Abuela Claudia, Rick Negron as Kevin Rosario, Nancy Ticotin as Camila Rosario, Robin de Jesus as Sonny, Monica Salazar as Daniele and Janet Dacal as Carla.
After a successful run, the musical transferred Off-Broadway to the 37 Arts Theatre for a five-month stint. Jackson, de Jesus and Dacal all reprised their roles, being joined by Miranda himself as Usnavi (Munoz became his understudy), Mandy Gonzalez as Nina, Karen Olivo as Vanessa, Olga Merediz as Abuela Claudia, John Herrera as Kevin Rosario, Priscilla Lopez as Camila Rosario and Andrea Burns as Daniela. The production was choreographed by Andy Blankenbuehler. The show won two Drama Desks and an Outer Critics’ Circle award.
The musical opened at The Richard Rodgers Theatre on Broadway a year after its opening at 37 Arts Theater. As well as Kail, Lacamoire and Blankenbuehler, the creative team included set design by Anna Louizos, costume design by Paul Tazewell, lighting design by Howell Binkley and sound design by Acme sound partners. The show opened to rave reviews and sell out shows winning four TONY awards, including the gong for Best Musical and recouping its $10 million investment within 10 months, as well as winning the Grammy for Best Musical Theatre Show Album. The majority of the Off-Broadway cast reprised their roles on Broadway with the exception of John Herrera, who was succeeded by Carlos Gomez as Kevin Rosario. The show closed on 9 January 9 2011.
From 2009-2011, the show toured North America with a stint in Puerto Rico, becoming the first Equity tour to have done this. During the run in Puerto Rico, Usnavi was again played by Miranda. Miranda, along with Hudes, is of Puerto Rican descent.
The UK premiere of the musical was at the Southwark Playhouse in May 2014. This production was directed by Luke Sheppard and choreographed by Drew McOnie. The cast included Sam Mackay as Usnavi, Christina Modestou as Nina, Emma Kingston as Vanessa, David Bedella as Kevin Rosario and Victoria Hamilton-Barritt as Daniela. This production transferred to the King’s Cross Theatre a year later with the cast reprising their roles, joined by Lily Frazer as Nina and Jade Ewen as Vanessa. The production was only slated to run four months but was a critical and commercial success, winning three Olivier awards and running for 18 months in total.
After many years of on-again and off-again with various studios, Warner Brothers won a $50million bidding war for the rights to adapt In the Heights into a feature film. The film was set for a June 2020 release, with Anthony Ramos starring as Usnavi, Leslie Grace as Nina, Corey Hawkins as Benny, Melissa Barrera as Vanessa, Daphne Rubin-Vega as Daniela, Stephanie Beatriz as Carla, Jimmy Smits as Kevin Rosario and original Broadway cast member Olga Merediz reprising her role of Abuela Claudia. Miranda himself is also appearing in the film as Piragua Guy. The film has been delayed to a June 2021 release due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Besties, if you haven’t listened to this absolute genre reinventing musical, get on it!
Cast recording available on various streaming services.
FACTS:
Music: Lin-Manuel Miranda
Lyrics: Lin-Manuel Miranda
Book: Quiara Alegria Hudes
Theatre: The Richard Rodgers Theatre
Run: 14 February 2008 – 9 January 2011 (29 previews and 1,184 regular performances)
TONYS:
(NOMINATED) Best Book of a Musical – Quiara Alegria Hudes, Best Original Score – Lin-Manuel Miranda, Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical - Lin-Manuel Miranda, Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical – Robin de Jesus, Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical – Olga Merediz, Best Direction of a Musical – Thomas Kail, Best Scenic Design of a Musical – Anna Louizos, Best Costume Design of a Musical – Paul Tazewell, Best Lighting Design of a Musical – Howell Binkley, Best Sound Design of a Musical – Acme Sound Partners.
(WON) Best Musical, Best Original Score – Lin-Manuel Miranda, Best Choreography – Andy Blankenbuehler, Best Orchestrations – Alex Lacamoire and Bill Sherman.
OLIVIERS:
(NOMINATED) Best New Musical.
(WON) Best Supporting Actor in a Musical – David Bedella, Best Theatre Choreographer – Drew McOnie and Outstanding Achievement in Music – Lin-Manuel Miranda.
