As a longtime musical enthusiast who has witnessed the evolution of modern Broadway adaptations, I must say that the recent jab between Jon M. Chu and Lin-Manuel Miranda about the nail choreography in their collaborative projects left me both amused and intrigued.
Hi Jon M. Chu, Lin-Manuel Miranda wants to share a thought with you. With your films “Wicked” and his “Lion King” prequel “Mufasa” scheduled for 2024, both of you are currently promoting your musicals in the media. However, Miranda’s message revolves around the choreography from the movie you collaborated on together in 2021, which seems to be a common element in both “Hamilton” and “Wicked”.
During a chat with TopMob regarding Mufasa, Jeff McCobb shared with Miranda that he had an upcoming interview with Chu. He inquired if the songwriter had any message for the director. In response, he playfully pointed out a resemblance between their collaborative work Wicked and In the Heights, making a humorous comment about it to his friend.
In my message, there’s a scene in ‘One Short Day’ that seems strangely reminiscent of a dance routine from ‘In the Heights’. Was this a tribute, or was it merely overlooked in the initial viewing?
In summary, Miranda was mentioning the “No Me Diga” number from the musical “In the Heights”, which can be watched with a Max subscription. The scene occurs in a hair salon where Leslie Grace’s character Nina receives a makeover while the ladies chat. During the song, there’s a part where several women are getting manicures and there is some elaborate nail dance choreography.
Simultaneously in “Wicked”, as the scene unfolds in “One Short Day”, Elphaba and Glinda find themselves at a beauty parlor, where they engage in an impressive and elaborate dance routine involving their nails.
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It’s not yet clear whether it was an intentional tribute or not, but it’s certain that Miranda found amusement in the resemblances and turned it into a hilarious jest.
Remarkably, Chu has directed and Christopher Scott choreographed both “In the Heights” and “Wicked”, and they have worked together for quite some time. Although these two films are distinct in many ways beyond being musicals, they share dance sequences that resemble each other, and as a longtime admirer of Scott’s work, I can easily recognize his choreography.
As a movie enthusiast, I must confess that “Wicked” was a blockbuster hit at the cinema, while “In the Heights,” despite receiving rave reviews, unfortunately fell short (largely due to COVID-19). Consequently, more eyes have likely watched the nail dance routine in recent times, and it’s not unreasonable to suggest that it might bear similarities or even be a nod to the choreography from the 2021 film. Personally, I view this as a delightful tribute to another Broadway adaptation that Jon M. Chu and Scott Wittman are renowned for, and I fervently hope that Lin-Manuel Miranda appreciates the sentiment as well.
Currently, I’m eagerly waiting for Jon M. Chu’s reaction to his colleague’s recent call-out. I want to determine whether it was a case of copying or paying tribute. Meanwhile, I plan to catch Miranda’s new project, “Mufasa,” in theaters and revisit the fantastic movie Chu and Scott collaborated on with Lin-Manuel Miranda, titled “In the Heights.
After that, I’m really going to look forward to the release of “Wicked: For Good” on the 2025 movie schedule. You can bet your bottom dollar that I will be searching for parallels between its choreography and the dancing in “In the Heights,” as well as the original “Wicked.
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2024-12-20 23:37