Video Interviews

Lin-Manuel Miranda Breaks Down the Songs of In the Heights

The brain behind the musical critics are calling the film of the summer goes deep on the inspirations for and compositions of "96,000," "Breathe," "Carnaval del Barrio," and more.

by | June 7, 2021 | Comments

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Critics are calling In the Heights, the Lin-Manuel Miranda-composed musical journey through the New York neighborhood of Washington Heights, the movie of the summer – and it arrives packed with songs that will be stuck in your head until next summer rolls around.

Ahead of the film’s release in theaters and on HBO Max this June, Miranda sat down with Rotten Tomatoes for a deep dive on the most beloved songs from the film, an adaptation of his first musical, from show-stopping “96,000” to the poignant and moving “Breathe.”

Plus, as he walks us through the inspiration behind the songs and his lyrical and compositional choices, Miranda celebrates the work of Jon M. Chu in staging sequences “as big as the characters’ dreams” and reveals the page-and-a-half he took from the Fiddler on the Roof book when writing the original show.


In the Heights is in theaters and on HBO Max from Thursday June 10, 2021. 


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