If you know me, you know my love for musicals. While some people can’t think of anything more torturous than sitting through two hours of people spontaneously bursting into song and dance, I live for it. And while I personally don’t have the talent or confidence to actually perform in one, watching a musical (either live or film) will always be my first choice of what to watch.
Over the years, I’ve accumulated quite the list of favorite musicals, but a few stand out for more than just their music and choreography. For Hispanic Heritage Month, I wanted to highlight two that I especially love: In the Heights and West Side Story. While they tell very different stories centered in two different New York neighborhoods decades apart, both put Latino culture, community and identity at the center of their stories. And, as someone who loves both the stage and screen versions of musicals, I couldn’t pass up the chance to talk about them.
In The Heights
In the Heights, written by Lin-Manuel Miranda, is one of those musicals I could watch over and over again and never get tired of. Set in Washington Heights, New York City, the neighborhood Lin-Manuel grew up in, the story follows Usnavi, a young bodega owner, and the different stories of the people in his neighborhood. The original Broadway production opened in 2008 and won four Tony Awards, including Best Musical.
While I’ve unfortunately never gotten to see the stage production of this show, the 2021 movie starring Anthony Ramos takes everything that makes the stage show special and makes a show that already has so much energy feel even bigger. I mean it was directed by the one and only Jon M. Chu, the director behind magic that is Wicked and Wicked: For Good.
The music, choreography and incredible ensemble numbers brings the entire neighborhood to life. The songs all have completely different sounds and emotions, as you can expect from anything written by Lin-Manuel Miranda, but they do a fantastic job telling a story about community and finding your way through adversity. The whole movie feels like a love letter to the neighborhood and the people who call it home.
West Side Story
If In the Heights is the musical that makes me want to get up and dance, West Side Story is the one that completely pulls me into the story. Originally written for the stage in 1957, the musical puts its own spin on Romeo and Juliet, following Tony and Maria as they fall in love despite being connected to rival groups, the Jets and the Sharks, who are fighting over territory.
While the musical was first adapted for the screen in 1961, starring big names such as Natalie Wood and Rita Moreno, winning a total of ten Academy Awards, in 2021 director Steven Spielberg released a remake of this classic tale. Spielberg’s version is one of my go to movies when I am sick. It is a refreshing take on the story, giving it a new perspective, and spending more time focusing on the Puerto Rican characters and community.
While some people find the remake a little controversial due to the casting of Ansel Elgort as Tony, this movie brought us Ariana DeBose’s Oscar-winning performance as Anita, the incredible Mike Faist as Riff, and the amazingly talented Rachel Zegler, who made her on-screen debut at eighteen as Maria. And, of course, Rita Moreno, who returned to the story as Valentina, creating such a special connection between the two films.
(Speaking of Rachel Zegler, I also highly recommend checking her out as Eva Peron in Andrew Loyd Webber’s Evita from the West End!)
The cinematography and choreography in Spielberg’s version is phenomenal and is such an important part of the storytelling. The numbers aren’t just entertaining, they show the personalities and tensions between the characters without needing much dialogue.
Both of these musicals are so special to me for different reasons, but both remind me of why I love musicals in the first place: they can take a story about people, culture, love and community and make you feel it through music and dance.