Lin-Manuel Miranda's movie musical about Washington Heights, based on the 2008 Tony-winning show In the Heights, has been shooting uptown this summer.
On a recent night during the heat wave, the crew shut down the 1 train subway tunnel at 191st Street to film a scene. They blocked the opening of the tunnel with a one-story-high scrim; the floodlights behind it created the illusion of daylight.
Belen Flores, 61, was watching just outside. "I've lived here my whole life," she said. "I could write a book." She learned about the filming when her husband was trying to park their car on the street when they were waved off by a production assistant. "I'm like, 'Wow, of all places.' They could be in the Bronx, they could be in Brooklyn. And they're here in the Heights. And I live here. So of course it's exciting."
The tunnel is famous — its graffiti murals and tags are the colorful site of fashion shoots and YouTube music videos. The location scouts had told the local community board that the tunnel would be completely closed since the No. 1 subway line was down for repairs, but instead, the crew waved people through if they needed to use the elevator up to St. Nicholas Avenue or down to Broadway.
"We were just walking around," said Louis Espinal, who lives a couple blocks away. "We noticed this, and I was like, 'What's going on?'"
A large, corrugated tube provided air conditioning. Uplights studded the walls. Olga Merediz, who originated the role of Abuela Claudia in the original Broadway production, sang her solo number "Paciencia Y Fe," about gentrification. The extras were clustered behind her, wearing colorful tank tops and shorts. Most of them were local residents, chosen through a process that gave precedence to folks in the neighborhood.
Ari Schwartz, the set dresser, said shooting "In the Heights" actually IN the Heights is an obvious choice. "You get the real flavor," he said. He noted that his parents had grown up in Washington Heights and Inwood. "I sent my mother a picture of the entrance to the tunnel today, to say, this is where I am — because this was her station."
Much to the disappointment of locals, creator Lin-Manuel Miranda wasn't on set that night. But he will be in the film, not as the lead (which he was on Broadway), but as the piragua vendor who sells shaved ice from his cart.
Shooting in Washington Heights wraps up this week; next the production moves to a studio in Brooklyn. "In the Heights" will be released next summer.