OMG ya'll for the first time in over a year I sat in a movie theater! A real life movie theater!!!! When the pandemic swept in one of the many casualties of the year (and some change), was the ability to go to anything "live" - theater, movies, concerts, etc. Too many people, too close quarters, breathing contained and recirculated air while a virus stalked us all.
BUT...
Today, being fully vaxxed and having been through my own personal ordeal with Covid, I sat in a movie theater! To be honest, it was wonderful. Plus, I used my "back to the theater" excursion to basically do two things: 1) Support movie magic and 2) To see a Broadway Musical on the Big Screen.
It's no secret that Lin-Manuel Miranda is the current King of Broadway. He loves musical theater and is pretty darn good at it (no duh right?). When the pandemic threatened the release of everyone's hard-to-get ticket, Hamilton, last year from being released as a theatrical debut movie-wise, he said let's release it on streaming services because we could use an infusion of hope in a time of hardship. He was right! We needed Hamilton, big or small screen. It was there to remind us of the hope and the promise of what we could build (even if our country's storyline was fraught with mistakes and unflattering blunders). So when it was announced that his first foray into creating Broadway magic, the show "In The Heights", was coming to the big screen for those of us who never got to see it's glory live on stage I knew I would be buying a ticket.
I grew up in a small Pennsylvania town which is now what they call a bedroom town for Manhattan. We are blessed to be a 75 minute or so drive into the big city so people purchase property here and then commute to the bombastically beautiful big apple. I have been a fan of Broadway since my first time seeing anything so larger than life put on a stage. I can't even remember now what my first Broadway show that I've seen was?! However the Lin-Manuel Miranda years would come when I had moved and relocated to Tennessee, so I unfortunately missed all the wonderful opportunities to see and support these productions.
Yesterday, I did not give away my shot.
As the opening credits rolled, I just sat back and prepared for song, dance and big screen sparkle.
In The Heights is essentially about the changing landscape of the section of New York called Washington Heights which was/is home to a wonderful mix of Dominican Republic, Puerto Rican and other Latinx communities of immigrants who migrated to our great melting pot to try to make a brighter day for themselves and their decedents. Being the daughter of an immigrant I can safely say I understand that passion, desire and mix of old school ideas with new school possibilities. This musical didn't disappoint. It is filled with that immigrant dream, hope and possibility. It's a beautiful reminder that struggle and dreams can come true. That holding on to your history is valid but has to be flexible at times. It is a reminder that anything can happen and after what we've all been through we need that message as a reminder from time to time.
However I'm not going to really get into the meat of the matter on why the movie is great, instead I'm going to tell you the details that I appreciated most about the film.
The Casting. Lin-Manuel is a loyal artist. Putting one of his Hamilton stars front and center in one part of that and Anthony Ramos obviously delivers. I was most happy though to see Daphne Rubin-Vega get a magnificent role as I was always a little annoyed that when RENT came to the big screen and almost the entire cast of the original Broadway production was reassembled for it, her role was given to Rosario Dawson (yeah I know she was pregnant during the casting, etc.). Still. I loved seeing her in this film! Then you add Christopher Jackson (Hamilton's George Washington), in the role of Mr. Softee and a number of wonderful Latinx actors...it was wonderful. Even Lin-Manuel casting himself in a lesser role was nice even if he's considered "corny" these days.
The little nods to other works, because you all caught that "You'll be Back" from Hamilton was the hold music when Jimmy Smits was on hold while speaking with the bursar's office for Stanford University right? Lol. Cute.
The focus on community though was the most important part to me. As being a member of a generation that saw it's formative years in the joys of neighborhoods and community and found us gradually becoming less immediately present in person and more present online, I feel that the sense of in-person effort is something we could use more of. Especially after this long year plus of isolation. There is so much we could share with one another if we just focused on the beauty of our cultures, our differences and how we can experience the joys of those gifts with one another if we just could get our heads out our asses long enough to enjoy it. We all long for that sense of belonging and this movie reminded us how even though our country is build upon the focus on the inherent strength of the individual forging their way, we can never forget that not one person's journey occurs in a vacuum.
Also why we continue to have so many people terrified of the "other" or our racial, religious or whatever differences keeps us from truly experiencing the rich buffet of humanity. That's where the excitement is y'all, not in people just like you or me...but in the wealth of different ideas that makes us awesome. I find now that then I go out in public, I love seeing the diversity and while I'm less vocal these days I do enjoy people watching and the more diverse the landscape the more beautiful that experience is for me. But I'm getting preachy, I know I know.
Regardless...if you like musical theater and you want to just have a nice day away from the un-sung daily dramas of our own lives, check out In The Heights and bonus plan if you are vaxxed and have the option to see it on the big screen in a community of fans who are excited and hopeful as well.
Comments
Post a Comment