Nina protests that he doesn't have to do this, but Benny says that he can't ignore the people fighitng over taxis. Benny orders Nina to stay with Usnavi and head back to Abuela's apartment, while he goes help her dad's business. Here, despite drinking the same amount of shots, he's sober enough to realize that the dispatch needs to get people in taxis and the building likely has no power either. Adaptational Badass: Benny in the musical during the blackout was drunk and didn't do much to help while spending the night with Nina.Here, he lived in the Dominican Republic until he was 8, and named after a boat his father saw years earlier. In the play, Usnavi was implied to be an infant when he immigrated, and (re?)named for a boat his family saw the day they came.In the film, she drops out after facing racism and isolation. In the show, she lost her scholarship after her grades slipped due to working two jobs. The reason for Nina's college woes are changed in the transition from stage to screen.This adds depth to the original character, who was one of the most politically-minded characters in the original.

Adaptational Angst Upgrade: Sonny's life outside the bodega is expanded upon a bit more, showing a bit of his home life (with a father who is implied to be alcoholic) and the difficulties of dealing with being an undocumented immigrant in the country.

Previews: Trailer 1, 'Washington Heights' Trailer, 'Powerful' Trailer. The film was released in theaters and via HBO Max on June 10, 2021.

In the heights intermission