SkyWire Digital Magazine

Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. by Daniel Andrade In 2015, a young playwright named Lin-Manuel Miranda captured the world’s attention with a play that took the musical theater community by storm: Hamilton . With its diverse cast, hip-hop sound, and contemporary view on history, it’s no surprise that Hamilton changed the landscape of musical theater and the performing arts. But what some may not know is that Miranda had an equally successful and critically acclaimed play that came out 7 years prior. That play was In The Heights , a musical focusing on the Latinx community of Washington Heights in New York City. It was nominated for an incredible 13 Tony Awards and won 4 of them: Best Orchestration, Best Choreography, Best Original Score, and Best Musical. And while Miranda’s Hamilton was released last year on Disney+ as a filmed play, In The Heights is a musical film. So how did the play translate onto the big screen? Let’s discuss. We’ll begin with the casting. The cast is full of f...