Every In The Heights Song Not In The Movie

Every In The Heights Song Not In The Movie

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In the Heights may be a fairly faithful adaptation of the groundbreaking Broadway musical, but that doesn’t mean some songs weren’t cut for the film.

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Every In The Heights Song Not In The Movie

In the Heights may be a fairly faithful adaptation of the groundbreaking Broadway musical, but that doesn’t mean some songs weren’t cut for the film. Composed by Lin-Manuel Miranda, In the Heights’ lights first came up in the New York stage in 2007, incorporating hip hop and rap styles into its score. In many ways, the show served as a precursor for Hamilton, the Miranda-penned phenomenon that took the theatre world by storm nearly a decade later.

Despite the popularity of In the Heights’ original score, the creators of the film, led by director Jon M. Chu (Crazy Rich Asians), removed a handful of tunes. Reasons for these tweaks could have ranged from everything to pacing or accommodating for the film’s other story-related changes. After all, the adaptation of a stage play to the screen comes with a wide array of challenges. A film experience doesn’t allow for an intermission break, nor does it have the advantage of capturing the energy of live performances. However, as masterfully demonstrated by Chu in In the Heights, making some new choices and using some crafty camera work can make for an incredibly moving – and often celebratory – viewing experience.

The onstage version of In the Heights boasted 23 songs from the show on its cast recording, while the film has only 16 – excluding “Home All Summer,” a bonus track played over the ending credits and “Piragua (Reprise),” which is featured in In the Heights’ post-credits scene but not included on the soundtrack. Here is our breakdown of the six songs cut for the movie.

Inútil (Useless)

Every In The Heights Song Not In The Movie

Though Jimmy Smits’ Kevin Rosario isn’t really given much of an opportunity to belt it out in the In the Heights film, the Broadway iteration of the character has two solos. The first of Kevin’s major moments in the spotlight comes in the form of “Inútil (Useless),” a song in which Nina’s dad recounts his own relationship with his father and his dreams for his daughter (who at this point in the musical, has already told him of her academic troubles at Stanford). “I will not be the reason that my family won’t succeed,” Kevin sings dramatically as he nears the number’s conclusion, foreshadowing his decision to sell off his business in order to help put Nina through school.

The movie version of In the Heights downplays the tension that exists in the original depiction of Nina and Kevin’s relationship, who spend much of the show’s runtime trying to find common ground (they are brought back together in large part thanks to Nina’s mother, who is cut from the movie). “Inútil” would have presumably occurred shortly after Nina’s first solo, “Breathe,” and before “No Me Diga.” The film’s creators likely cut the song for pacing and not overload the ensemble-driven plot with too many backstories. Much of Kevin’s overall motivation is still successfully implied in the film’s dialogue, so the decision to not take time on another ballad so early into the story was a very sound one.

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Sunrise

Every In The Heights Song Not In The Movie

One of the more popular songs from the Tony Award-winning musical that found its way onto the cutting room floor was the song “Sunrise,” a duet sung by Nina and Benny the morning after the blackout. In the stage version of In the Heights, Nina and Benny’s relationship is a little different than it appears in the movie. First of all, they aren’t lovers prior to Nina’s freshman year at Stanford. Perhaps more importantly, Benny clashes far more frequently with his boss, Kevin, who is not quiet with his opinion that he doesn’t think Benny is “good enough for [his] family.” In fact, this tension leads to an enormous argument during the “Blackout” sequence (cut from the film), in which Benny actually blames Nina for losing his job. “Sunrise” is the later romantic song in which they have made up and Nina teaches Benny some Spanish vocabulary.

Ultimately, “Sunrise” wouldn’t have made a lot of sense given the film’s characterization of Nina and Benny, whose coupling is far less tumultuous than it was in the Broadway musical. Chu’s interpretation of In the Heights transfers much of the show’s romantic strife to the Usnavi-Vanessa relationship (with new lyrics, they actually sing the argument section of “Blackout” originally belted out by Nina and Benny on Broadway). Perhaps the creators wanted to streamline the secondary couple’s arc in order to help keep Usnavi’s journey more central to the story.

Hundreds of Stories

Every In The Heights Song Not In The Movie

The filmed take on the musical turns the question of who won the lottery into a far greater mystery than in the original script. For the Broadway version, the audience learns that Abuela Claudio is the lucky winner in the middle of Act 1, leading to her telling Usnavi by the show’s intermission. “Hundreds of Stories” is a duet between Abuela Claudia and Usnavi in which they discuss their plans for the money, which will be split three ways between them and Sonny. In the show, this is also where Unsavi details the origins of his name.

Since the script for the movie tinkers with some elements of the story, it is easy to see why “Hundreds of Stories” was cut. By holding out on the reveal that the lotto winner is Abuela Claudia – who dies much earlier in the film than she does in the play – there is a satisfying moment of payoff in which a sad Usnavi finds the winning ticket, thankful for the gift left by his departed mother figure. In order to make that moment work, “Hundreds of Stories” ultimately was a song cut for In the Heights’ final draft.

Enough

Every In The Heights Song Not In The Movie

As mentioned earlier, Nina’s mother Camilla was cut from the movie, as was her song “Enough,” which is a fierce scolding of both her daughter and husband. As in the movie, the musical shows that there is some considerable tension between the two of them over Nina’s academic future. However, the stage version also includes a subplot in which Kevin disapproves of Benny for his daughter because he is not Latino (the film has no references to this, effectively softening Kevin’s characterization). During Camilla’s tirade, she tells her family to get over their strife, singing, “I’m leaving it up to you. It’s up to you. I’ll see you both at home.” Obviously, with no Camilla, the high-energy tune was rendered unusable.

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Atención

Every In The Heights Song Not In The Movie

Kevin’s second solo, the short and heartfelt “Atención,” was cut for the film. During Broadway’s In the Heights, the song takes place directly after “Carnival Del Barrio” and announces the death of Abuela Claudia to her community via the dispatch. “Atención, atención: Please drive slow. Let everybody know Abeuela Claudia passed away at noon today,” Kevin sings simply as the festivities halt. Afterward, the company, led by Nina, sing “Alabanza” in tribute to the neighborhood’s beloved matriarch.

While the film reorders some things, especially the events that surround Abuela Claudia’s death, the song would have made sense coming after Usnavi finding her body. However, it may have not been deemed all that necessary, since it primarily acts as exposition to the audience, who, for the movie, actually witness the death as it happens. The film – which uses a framing device of an Usnavi from the future telling his story to a group of kids – more efficiently brings the audience up to speed. Additionally, Chu’s camera movements after Abuela being discovered help sell the emotional impact her death has on each of her community in ways better than a song ever could.

Everything I Know

The final song cut for the In the Heights movie is Nina’s ballad “Everything I Know,” in which she remembers her time with Abuela Claudia. Looking through photo albums and collected trinkets left behind, Nina realizes “our lives are in these boxes while the woman who held us is gone. But we go on, we grow.” Nina ends the song thanking Abeula for all she taught her and vows to make her proud.

The song would have been moving, but could have resulted in the film’s runtime – already over two hours and twenty minutes – feeling “too long”, especially since it’s a slower and more introspective ballad. Similarly, perhaps giving Nina time to reflect on the loss of Abuela when her mother’s death has only been obliquely referenced would have felt a bit odd.

In the Heights may not be a note-for-note retelling of the original version, but it still distinguishes itself as one of the more successful stage-to-screen adaptations in recent years. While it would have been nice to see more from some members of the incredibly talented cast – particularly Leslie Grace and Corey Hawkins’ Nina and Benny – the decision to streamline the story and soundtrack is absolutely understandable. Little is done to diminish the movie’s magic and its assertion that incredible power can be contained in even the humblest of sueñitos.

Link Source : https://screenrant.com/in-heights-musical-movie-songs-cut/

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