Musical fans will be hyped for the film release of Lin Manuel-Miranda’s In The Heights, set to land in cinemas here on 25 June (seven years after its UK stage premiere at the lovely Southwark Playhouse).
Of course the Dominican smash is far from the first big musical to make its way to Hollywood. Here are seven other classics – and one notorious flop – to enjoy:
Chicago, Amazon (to rent)
Rapidly approaching the 50th (!) anniversary of its stage premiere, the Oscar-winning crime caper has lost none of its pizzazz. And looking at the cast it’s not hard to see why. A pinstripe-clad Richard Gere as a sleazy lawyer, Catherine Zeta-Jones as a quick-witted and caustic showgirl, and Renée Zellweger as the infamous Roxie – the spurned housewife turned murderess. Every now and then comes a film that just manages to bottle that infectious Broadway glitz for home-viewing. Chicago is one of them.
Hamilton, Disney+
Surely the most successful stage production of the last decade, Lin Manuel-Miranda’s career-defining smash looked destined for the big screen right from its first curtain call.
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