The movie adaptation of Lin-Manuel Miranda's first musical, Hamilton Easter eggs and references. Miranda is now best-known for creating and starring in Hamilton, which speaks to how much of a phenomenon the Broadway musical has become. But before tackling the story of the $10 Founding Father, he wrote and appeared in In The Heights, and that's now received the big screen treatment thanks to director Jon M. Chu.
The In The Heights movie makes some changes to the musical, including adding in Usnavi's narration as a framing device and a storyline built around DACA, but otherwise very much sticks to the script. But with those tweaks to the musical comes the chance to drop in a few references to Hamilton, which was obviously impossible when Miranda created In The Heights. Given just how popular Hamilton is, then it only makes sense to have a couple of nods towards it.
Indeed, Hamilton's influence on the movie can be seen straight from In The Heights' cast, which is now led by Anthony Ramos (who was part of Hamilton's original Broadway cast as both John Laurens and Philip Hamilton). Since the part of Usnavi was first played by Miranda, that feels like something of a ing of the torch moment, but there are some other clear Hamilton Easter eggs in In The Heights, as well as plenty of references to other musicals.
In The Heights Features King George III's Hamilton Song Chorus
The best Hamilton Easter egg during In The Heights comes in a somewhat surprising form: Muzak. When Nina's father, Kevin Rosario, is on hold with Stanford University, the background music while he's on hold is King George III's song chorus from Hamilton. While it's muzak rather than the lyrics, it's very clearly the "da-da-da-da-da" refrain heard throughout his musical numbers, most famously "You'll Be Back." Given its musical stylings, mixing more typical Broadway numbers with British Invasion, and its general catchiness, then it makes for perfect hold music and a great way to get a nod to Hamilton into the movie.
In The Heights' Post-Credits Scene Pays Off Its Hamilton Cameo
Aside from Anthony Ramos, in Hamilton, it's George Washington himself; in In The Heights, gentrification and capitalism). Seeing the two standing together, putting their differences aside, comes off as a fun spin on their Hamilton roles.
The parts of Miranda and Jackson in In The Heights also callback to the original Broadway musical. There, Miranda played Usnavi, while Jackson originated the role of Benny. Even before the two were in Hamilton together, they were side-by-side as close friends (though in this story, Benny is arguably Usnavi's right-hand man). With that, then the rivalry between them becomes even more perfectly fitting.
How In The Heights' Songs Connect To Hamilton
In The Heights and Hamilton have some shared musical DNA, as is to be expected given both were written by Lin-Manuel Miranda, though plenty of differences too. Hamilton has much more rap and hip-hop focused stylings, combined with traditional Broadway influences, whereas most In The Heights songs are infused with Latin or R&B. Still, while there is plenty to separate them, there are some connections between the songs that make them feel as though they're linked. This starts with the opening numbers of each respective musical - "In The Heights" and "Alexander Hamilton." Both are very much scene-setters that you'd expect from a musical, but it's in the specifics of their character introductions there's a similarity: they may be centuries apart, but both sing of their protagonist's journey as an immigrant from the Caribbean to the United States, losing his parents along the way and now dreaming of making it.
The other song that feels most connected to Hamilton is "96,000", which is arguably In The Heights' best song (and its biggest, most show-stopping number). The song is the one on the In The Heights soundtrack that has the most overt rap influences and elements, which itself makes it hue closer to what Hamilton does, while in of character and story it performs a similar function to "My Shot," with the key characters rapping about what they'd accomplish if given the opportunity to realize those dreams. "96,000" was even echoed in Hamilton, in the song "Right Hand Man" where "32,000" is repeated three times, giving 96,000. That was seemingly more coincidental, but the link in musical style and storytelling is not.
Much like the "96,000"/"32,000" link, there are a couple of other moments in In The Heights that, watched now at least, will remind viewers of Hamilton. In "Benny's Dispatch," he says to Nina "it's good to see your face," which is a line sung by Angelica in Hamilton's "Take A Break." Likewise, in the dinner scene in In The Heights, they say to "raise a glass," which will evoke memories of Hamilton's "The Story of Tonight." Both are, of course, very common phrases that aren't unique to Miranda's musicals, but in context it's what they conjure up.
In The Heights' Other Musical Easter Eggs & References
It isn't just to Hamilton that In The Heights has references to. Lin-Manuel Miranda is very much a scholar of musicals, and together with Jon M. Chu works to include nods to several of his influences in the movie, ranging from In The Heights itself to Rent. Several of In The Heights' original Broadway cast make cameos in the movie, but the most hidden is the original Nina actress, Mandy Gonzalez, who can be heard singing.a doo-wop song when Abuela Claudia goes to the dry cleaners. In that scene, Pike Phillips is played by Patrick Page, a Broadway star from Spider-Man: Turn off the Dark and Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical. Elsewhere, Seth Stewart, who played Graffiti Pete on Broadway, is a bartender, and Javier Muñoz, who has played both Usnavi and Alexander Hamilton on Broadway, appears in the finale.
Daphne Rubin-Vega's role as Daniela, meanwhile, is fitting as she originated the part of Mimi in Rent, a musical that inspired Miranda so much his next movie - Tick...Tick...Boom! - is about its creator, Jonathan Larson. In non-musical influences, Lin-Manuel Miranda's parents make quick cameos during "Breathe," the lottery numbers are meaningful dates to Chu (his daughter's birthday, the day his son was born, and his favorite number), and "96,000" has references to everything from Lord of the Rings' Frodo to Star Wars' Obi-Wan Kenobi, showing just how far In The Heights' Easter eggs and references extend.
