Lin-Manuel Miranda Calls In the Heights Premiere at Childhood Theater 'Seven Dreams Come True'
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The In the Heights premiere wasn't just a dream come true for Lin-Manuel Miranda - it was everything he ever dreamed of.
The Heights lyricist, composer and original Broadway star, 41, was on hand to introduce the movie adaptation of his hit musical at the opening night of the Tribeca Film Festival on Wednesday, where he gave a hyped-up speech about how meaningful the night was.
Taking place at the United Palace theater in his home of Washington Heights, Miranda explained how the moment was a true full circle for him.
"Pre-Hamilton, before I had any money, I went halfsies on this screen with [the theater]," Miranda revealed as he stood in front of the large screen. "I said I'll pay half the price for a new screen for the Palace if you guys pay the other half. And we did it. I paid for the HD projector before I could afford to pay for the HD projector."
"So when I tell you this is not a dream come true, this is seven dreams come true at the same time," Miranda said as the excited crowd cheered for him.
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Miranda went on to describe how personal the story is to him. He wrote In the Heights as a teenager and workshopped it for years until it became a Broadway smash, winning the best musical Tony Award in 2008.
"When you're 19 years old and you write a love letter to your neighborhood, and then you get to film the movie about that show in the f----- neighborhood, and then have the premiere on 175th street, are you kidding me?!" Miranda said, with the emotion and excitement palpable in his voice.
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The In the Heights in-person premiere was kicked off with Smits' castmates, including leading star Anthony Ramos. Directed by Crazy Rich Asians' Jon M. Chu and co-written by Quiara Alegría Hudes, the film follows the lives of residents living in Manhattan's predominantly Latin neighborhood of Washington Heights.
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The after party later took place a few blocks away in partnership with Crown Royal, Cafe Bustelo and Tribeca Film Festival.
In the Heights is in theaters and streaming on HBO Max now.
