Lin-Manuel Miranda

In the Heights at the Sydney Opera House will have you dancing in your seat

As the sun rises on what is set to be another blistering summers day in Washington Heights, bodega owner Usnavi (Ryan Gonzalez -they/them) is getting ready to start work. Chasing away petty vandal Graffiti Pete (Jervis Livelo – he/him), he begins to talk about his life, his world and this little corner of Manhattan he…

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Interview: Lin-Manuel Miranda on witnessing the Australian production of Hamilton

In his first trip to Australia to meet the local company of Hamilton, Lin-Manuel Miranda delighted the Brisbane cast and surprised the city’s audience when he made a special appearance during the curtain call of a performance this past weekend. Speaking honestly, openly and humorously about the show, its creation, and the Australian production, Miranda…

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Film Review: Encanto is a visually colourful and energetically paced animated musical about accepting yourself, flaws and all.

An ordinary teenager trying to fit into an extraordinary world is not exactly the road less travelled in film, and certainly not in the realms of the animated genre, but it’s where Disney have opted to explore (again) in Encanto. Now, as much as the general plot line of Jared Bush‘s and Byron Howard‘s outing…

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Interview: The cast and creators of In The Heights on bringing the film from stage to screen

As In The Heights prepares to dance its way on to the big screens here in Australia (you can read our review here), the cast and creators were on hand at a global press conference to discuss making the film, including director Jon M. Chu, creator Lin-Manuel Miranda and screenwriter Quiara Alegría Hudes. Our own…

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Film Review: In The Heights is a feel-good reminder of the joy of the big screen musical

Any film that has an air of positivity about it can all too easily be framed as “the movie we need right now” coming off the global lockdown stage of the pandemic.  Sure, a film that makes you laugh, smile, or cry (in the good way) is going to be enough of an escape after…

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Hamilton Review: Why you’ve got to be in the room where it happens (Sydney’s Lyric Theatre)

Staging an Australian production of a Tony Award-winning Broadway musical is always a daunting task, particularly when that show is one of the most acclaimed and successful musicals in Broadway history. The one benefit for local productions is knowing the audience likely have little first-hand experience with the version seen on The Great White Way….

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Latinx culture and community are celebrated in new In The Heights trailer

As 2021 slowly finds its footing in navigating the pandemic, there appears to be no better time than now for a celebration of unity.  Dropping a beautifully colourful trailer in the lead-up to its June release, In The Heights, from director Jon M. Chu (Crazy Rich Asians), promises an honouring of all Latinx culture in…

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New teaser trailer invites you into the world of His Dark Materials

The first teaser trailer for the forthcoming TV adaptation of His Dark Materials has been released out into the world, and we for one are excited! Set for release later in the year, the BBC and HBO co-production has amassed a sterling cast of small screen and big screen talent. Logan actress Dafne Keen has…

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Film Review: Mary Poppins Returns (USA, 2018) is a delightful return to the whimsy and magic of Disney musicals

Disney once again mines its own intellectual property for more family fun over the holiday season. Their recent trend of recreating their animated features into new “live action” films has been an ongoing and generally successful juggernaut. However with Mary Poppins Returns, they’ve opted for a new take on the Poppins tale.

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Jemaine Clement talks playing a giant crab in Moana, channelling David Bowie and Maori myths (EXCLUSIVE)

Arriving into Australian cinemas on Boxing Day is Disney’s brand new animated feature Moana and this will be the first time the studio is exploring the culture and myths of the South Pacific region, particularly that of the Polynesian people. In the film an ancient curse that is causing the crops to fail and fish…

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Hamilton‘s Lin-Manuel Miranda to pen new songs for a live action The Little Mermaid

Th rumoured live-action movie for The Little Mermaid seems to have been confirmed with Hamilton creator and star Lin-Manuel Miranda and the film’s original composer Alan Menken signed on to write the songs for the film.  Miranda is known for his work on Broadway musicals such as Les Miserables and Hamilton, while Menken is known for his work on the original The Little Mermaid and Beauty…

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Barry Conrad lets us in on the inner workings of his beautiful mind

This interview was so much more than your standard interview, and Barry Conrad is so much more than meets the eye. Here is a guy who has worked on fulfilling every part of his being and genuinely wants to leave his mark on the world. Not only is he undeniably talented, but he has a good…

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Lin-Manuel Miranda’s In The Heights gets revived at The Weinstein Co.

Reported by The Hollywood Reporter, Hamilton-creator Lin-Manuel Miranda takes on a film adaptation at the Weinstein Co. for his earlier work, In The Heights. Miranda has been made the producer of the film, it has been unclear whether he will actually star in it as the character is 10 years younger than he is (Miranda is now 36)….

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