by Antonio Mejías-Rentas
BROADWAY BOUNTY: The most successful Latino musical on Broadway received 13 Tony nominations last week, more than any production this year.
In the Heights earned two nominations for its 28-year-old nuyorican creator and star Lin-Manuel Miranda -in score and acting categories as well as a nod for its Iyricist Quiara Alegría Hudes and for two of its cast members, Robin De Jesús and Olga Merediz (both in the supporting actress category).
It also earned nominations in directing, choreography, orquestration, scenic design, costume, lighting and sound categories.
The musical is set in the New York neighborhood of Washington Heights and tells the story of its young bilingual residents to a score inspired by salsa and hip-hop. Miranda began working on the musical nearly a decade before it became an off-Broadway hit last year and moved this season to the Richard Rodgers Theater, where it’s earned rave reviews -a feat never before accomplished by a musical with a Latino author and mostly Latino cast.
Coincidentally, nominations were announced on a Tuesday the 13th or martes 13, an unlucky day in Latino culture.
In the Heights is the latest work set in Washington Heights by a young Latino author to win great recognition.
Earlier this year was the 3711novel The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, by 39-yearold Dominican writer Junot Díaz. The Tony Awards will be announced June 15.
‘BETTY’MOVES: TV’s only current successful Latino series is set in New York and now production of the comedy is leaving Los Angeles for the Big Apple.
Production of the third season of Ugly Betty will be filmed in Manhattan and Queens, ABC Studios announced last week. The show is adapted from the Colombian telenovela Yo soy… Betty la fea and stars América Ferrera, an Emmy winner for her role as Betty Suárez. The series is also produced by Salma Hayek’s company, Ventanarrosa.
Ugly Betty is this season’s only Latino prime-time series that will return to television in the Fall.
ONE LINER: TV network MTV Tres has launched a six-week campaign for Julieta Venegas which will include six new vignettes of the Mexican singer-songwriter and will culminate with the June 5 premiere of the Julieta Venegas MTV Unplugged special and the June 17 release of the same titled CD and DVD. Hispanic Link.
