Movies How ‘In the Heights’ pulled off its most moving, ambitious musical number of all (That the citizens of Schmigadoon don’t know they’re singing is a nice touch and a smart insight.) The songs are fine - Paul has a firm grasp of period styles - and stay true to midcentury standards until the final number, which has the industrially inspirational flavor of modern Broadway. And it is certainly likable in its parts, and in its performances, and in that it acknowledges there was musical theater before Disney took over 42nd Street: The musicals of the 1940s and 1950s are its inspiration and subject. Seuss adaptations), with songs by Paul, it will please some viewers merely by existing, a colorful affair stuffed with music and dance and people being silly. They favor a frontal approach that turns the screen into a proscenium stage, emphasizing the theatrical otherness of the setting and setting off the production numbers to good effect the dancers are seen, as in the old-time talking pictures, head to toe, in long takes, with a minimum of edits.Ĭreated by Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio, who are best known for writing animated features (three “Despicable Me” movies, a couple of Dr. Strong’s briefly overlapping “Saturday Night Live” castmate Fred Armisen is here too - “Schmigadoon!” is a Lorne Michaels production - as is Jaime Camil, from “Jane the Virgin.”īarry Sonnenfeld (“Men in Black”) directed the great Bo Welch (“Beetlejuice”), who worked with Sonnenfeld on “A Series of Unfortunate Events” and elsewhere, is the production designer. Supporting the leads is a starry cast of bona fide New York theater veterans who will be familiar to many who have never been to the theater, including Ariana DeBose (the original Bullet in “Hamilton”), Kristin Chenoweth (the original Glinda in “Wicked”), Jane Krakowski (“Starlight Express”), Aaron Tveit (“Moulin Rouge!”), Ann Harada (“Avenue Q”), Dove Cameron (“Clueless”) and Alan Cumming (“Cabaret”). In terms of production, this is no amateur hour.
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