Before Lin-Manuel Miranda wrote Hamilton, jolting Broadway with creative Hip Hop, staging and story telling, he wrote In the Heights, a musical tribute to New York City's Washington Heights neighborhood. In the Heights follows a more traditional style of musical, mixing a couple of love stories with family drama and a hint of escape in the form of a lottery ticket. Miranda stays in the background, clearing the stage for two sets of lovers played by Melissa Barreta and Anthony Ramos as well as Leslie Grace and Corey Hawkins. A neighborhood wise woman or Abuela played by Olga Merediz creates a knock out exit celebrating the meaning of her long life in America. A swimming pool extravaganza recalls the great Busby Berkeley kaleidoscopes of the 1930's. This is entertaining family fare streaming on Disney Plus, without the ground breaking impact of Hamilton, the show written after In the Heights but presented on film first.
