Musical hits all the right notes...
THIS CELEBRATION OF LATIN AMERICAN CULTURE SHINES ON THE BIG SCREEN
YOUNG hearts run free a short distance from the 181st Street subway stop in New York City in this energetic film adaptation of the 2005 stage musical, with a script by Quiara Alegria Hudes and music and lyrics by Hamilton creator Lin-manuel Miranda.
Shot primarily on location in the Manhattan borough of Washington Heights where “you can’t walk two blocks without bumping into someone’s big plan”, musical romance In The Heights is a frequently exhilarating, life-affirming celebration of Latin American people and their cultures.
Bodega owner Usnavi (Anthony Ramos) is saving every cent to realise his father’s “small dream” of a beachside bar back in the Dominican Republic.
He imagines that better life with his younger cousin Sonny (Gregory Diaz IV) and the woman who raised him, Abuela Claudia (Olga Merediz). However, Usnavi’s ambitious plan risks separation from good friends Benny (Corey Hawkins) and Nina (Leslie Grace), and the object of his affections, aspiring fashion designer Vanessa (Melissa Barrera). As the temperature soars heralding a blackout, Usnavi decides where his heart belongs.
Meanwhile, Stanford University student Nina clashes with her father Kevin (Jimmy Smits).
Also, hair salon owner Daniela (Daphne Rubin-vega) and her girls Carla (Stephanie Beatriz) and Cuca (Dascha Polanco) reluctantly relocate to the Bronx in response to soaring rent prices.
In The Heights encourages spirits to soar with a heady combination of Jon M Chu’s rumbustious direction, Miranda’s smartly syncopated lyrics and committed performances anchored by Ramos’s star-making turn.
Chu’s formative years behind the camera of the Step Up films invigorate breathlessly choreographed set pieces.
Merediz, a standout Tony-nominated performer from the 2008 Broadway production, repeats the same feat in glorious close-up and shatters fragile hearts with her wistful solo Paciencia Y Fe.
The big screen can barely contain the exuberance of the carnaval del barrio at full blast. In those moments, Chu and his cast really do hit the heights.
■ In cinemas from Friday