Lin-Manuel Miranda: The Genius Behind In the Heights
About
Lin-Manuel Miranda (born January 16, 1980) is an American actor, singer, songwriter, rapper, director, producer, and playwright. He is of Puerto Rican and Mexican descent. He both created and starred in In the Heights and Hamilton. His awards include: a Pulitzer Prize, three Tony Awards, three Grammy Awards, an Emmy Award, a MacArthur Fellowship, and a Kennedy Center Honor in 2018.
Miranda wrote the music, lyrics, and original script draft of the 2008 Broadway Musical In the Heights which has been made into a film that will be released in June 2021.
Miranda gained most of his wider recognition from writing the script, music, and lyrics for Hamilton. This 2015 Broadway musical has been claimed as a pop culture phenomenon. It was nominated for a record 16 Tony Awards, winning 11 including Best Musical, Best Original Score, and Best Book.
Source: Lin-Manuel Miranda Wikipedia
Inspiration and Process, with Quiara Alegría Hudes
Lin-Manuel Miranda wrote the earliest draft of In the Heights in 1999 during his sophomore year of college at the age of 19. The show was accepted by Wesleyan University's student theater company Second Stage. For its debut, Miranda added freestyle rap, bodegas, and salsa numbers. After seeing the play, several Wesleyan seniors and alumni appropached Miranda to see if he could expand the play for a Broadway production. In 2002, Miranda worked with Wesleyan alum and director Thomas Kail to create five separate drafts of the revised show. Book writer Quiara Alegría Hudes joined their creative team in 2004. Source: In the Heights Wikipedia, "Background"
At age 19, Lin-Manuel Miranda was just writing a story that he really wanted to write. He wanted to showcase a vibrant community, a neighborhood on the brink of change filled with tensions from gentrification and family expectations. As the show gained notice, Lin-Manuel realized that he had a platform as a Latino to represent the Latino community. He wanted to represent Latinos in a way honest to his experience and his co-writer Quiara Hudes' experience growing up in a Latino neighborhood. The musical ultimately showcases the reality of gentrification, questions the meaning of home, and emphasizes the importance of relationships. Source: Swarthmore: "In the Heights: A Conversation with Lin-Manuel Miranda"
Ultimately, Lin-Manuel Miranda is credited with the concept of the musical as well as writing the music and lyrics for the stage musical. He also starred as Usnavi. Quiara Alegría Hudes wrote the book for the stage musical as well as the screenplay. Both Miranda and Hudes are two of the producers for the film adaptation. Miranda will also be taking the role of the Piragua Guy in the film adaptation.