Before 'Hamilton,' There Was 'In the Heights' -- Now Re-Issued
Ten years ago, Lin-Manuel Miranda, director Thomas Kail and many others from the creative team behind Hamilton had their first Broadway hit with their Tony and Grammy Award-winning In the Heights. The pleasure of that musical — which began as a student production when Miranda was a sophomore at Wesleyan University in Middletown and later developed at the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center in Waterford — was splendidly on display this summer at West Hartford’s Playhouse on Park.
To celebrate the show’s 10th anniversary, Ghostlight Records is releasing a three-LP soundtrack exclusively through Barnes & Noble, marking the first time the show has been offered on vinyl. The set features newly remastered audio, 21 tracks and 90 minutes of music, and a 12-inch-by-12-inch booklet with full lyrics, original Broadway show photos, a synopsis and a liner note from Kail. An MP3 download card is also included.
“[The anniversary] acts as a reminder of the things you’re proud of with people you love,” says Kail, 41. “That’s what this show represents for me, especially in a week where I can tell people I’m working with some of these same collaborators on a completely new project.”
Kail is referring to the limited television series he will direct and co-produce with Miranda based on the lives and careers of choreographer-director Bob Fosse and Broadway legend Gwen Verdon. Andy Blankenbuehler will choreograph the series coming to FX next year, with Sam Rockwell and Michelle Williams attached as series leads. “One of the things that brings so much joy in my life is that I’ve been able to keep some of the most inspiring, thoughtful, kind human beings — who also happen to be exceptionally talented — in my life. “