Lin-Manuel Miranda may be perpetually busy, but he always has time to spread a little love and encouragement. On Friday, a few days before In the Heights was set to start filming, Miranda, Quiara Alegría Hudes, the play’s screenwriter, and the film’s director, Jon M. Chu, headed to George Washington High School to support a school production of the hit play. In a video shared by Chu on Twitter, Lin-Manuel is seen walking onto the stage and clapping and praising the surprised students.
On Twitter, responding to the Chu, Miranda explained what the production meant to him. “We saw In the Heights in the Heights for the first time, with kids from all over the neighborhood,” he wrote. “It’s cool I only cried 10 times. These kids were so good. Our future is so bright.”
Hudes was similarly moved by the performance. “These students were pure life and energy, and the local audience laughed at different lines than the Broadway audience,” she wrote. “#InTheHeights was alive as it’s ever been last night at George Washington HS and gratitude is the name of my day.”
With In the Heights consuming a lot of Lin-Manuel’s time these days, he has posted about the audition and rehearsal process, as well as casting news, regularly on Twitter. Back in April, he used the platform to break the news that Leslie Grace and Melissa Barrera had joined the cast. And on Saturday, he posted a video of the people lined up to try out for the cast.