How In The Heights’ Opening Song Mirrors Hamilton’s

In The Heights shares plenty of musical DNA with Hamilton thanks to Lin-Manuel Miranda, and their opening songs feel particularly related.

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The opening songs of In The Heights and Hamilton chart the journeys of different characters at different times, but feel like they mirror one another. The two musicals (and now movies) come from the mind of Lin-Manuel Miranda, who wrote both and, on Broadway at least, originated the lead roles of Usnavi and Alexander Hamilton. They may be separated by a few hundred years and tell distinct stories, but Miranda’s style, influences, and experiences mean there are certain commonalities between them.

While both In The Heights and Hamilton feature a range of musical styles – from the more Latin-influenced numbers of the former to the more traditional Broadway songs of the latter – each heavily draws on rap and hip-hop as well. And both are fundamentally stories about the American Dream – or different takes on the American Dream – filtered through the lens of immigration. That itself is a broad area, allowing the two musicals/movies to do their own thing, but it also means they’re intrinsically linked too, something particularly apparent in their respective opening songs.

As is customary with musicals, they each feature an opening number that is very much about introducing the characters, story, and themes, setting the stall out for what’s to come. While Hamilton’s opening song does this with a specific focus on the titular character’s journey, In The Heights is more about the location at the heart of the story, it is clear to see some connections among the lyrics and musical styles. Both songs, for instance, feature rap and hip-hop elements – indeed, it’s some of the most overt uses found in In The Heights – as well as setting up their respective protagonists as similar figures: immigrants and orphans chasing the American Dream.

During “In The Heights,” Usnavi sings that: “I am Usnavi and you prob’ly never heard my name / Reports of my fame are greatly exaggerated.” It’s easy to find the flip of this in “Alexander Hamilton,” which has a refrain of “And the world is gonna know your name…” followed by “My name is Alexander Hamilton.” While the scale of ambition is very different, and indeed somewhat crossed – Hamilton intends to make a name for himself in America, Usnavi by going back to the Dominican Republic, the musicals quickly setup the two main characters as dreamers looking for respect, for a sense of home, and for something more.

Their backgrounds, too, are somewhat linked in these songs. Each number stresses that they come from the Caribbean, hammering home the immigration themes that underpin so much of both stories – though again, with a twist: Alexander comes from a “forgotten spot,” while Usnavi is from “the single greatest place…” Given their respective aims at the outset – one to push forward to America, the other to go back to the DR, then this contrast makes sense, especially in context of their American Dreams (where for Alexander it would’ve been hopeful, for Usnavi it is something that’s become more jaded). Likewise, Alexander Hamilton is an “orphan,” while Usnavi mentions when his “folks passed”, suggesting greater adversity to overcome that gives them a shared sense of character and motivations driven by similar goals but in opposite directions.

Miranda’s two musicals are very different in so many ways, but his own sensibilities, musical style, and storytelling shines through in both, and that’s particularly evident in their opening songs. Hamilton is the story of America then, told by the America of now, while In The Heights is a much more modern view all-round. But as stories of immigration and dreams – something the In The Heights movie hammers home even more with its DACA storyline – then Miranda finds a way to mirror one in the other, telling an even more complete journey that spans through time.

Link Source : https://screenrant.com/in-heights-hamilton-movie-musical-opening-songs-meaning-similar/