In 2023, the musical In The Heights by Lin-Manuel Miranda received a licensed production by Concord Theatricals, produced by In Cena. The person responsible for adapting the lyrics into Portuguese was Vitor Louzada, who embraced the challenge of translating the work while preserving its essence. In this interview, conducted in celebration of Hamilton‘s 10th anniversary, Vitor shares details about the adaptation process and the unique aspects of working with the text of one of the greatest names in musical theater.
Klaus Bentes: Vitor, I had the honor of meeting you in person at the premiere of Nas Alturas, produced by In Cena in 2023. I know your journey as a lyric adapter has been going on for quite some time. To start the interview, could you share a bit about your story?
Vitor Louzada: I’ve been working in theater for as long as I can remember. I’m a trained actor, hold a postgraduate degree in theater directing, work as a theater teacher, singer, and producer when needed, and, of course, I’m also a lyric adapter and songwriter.
Speaking specifically about my career as a lyric adapter, I learned to adapt lyrics during my very first musical theater course. I was going to sing a duet, and when I looked at the lyrics sheet I was given, I noticed that a small section of the song was missing. So, I took it upon myself to fill in the gap. My teacher praised my work, and it all started from there.
I worked as an assistant director in the musical theater division of CAL (Casa das Artes de Laranjeiras) for many years, from 2014 to 2019—the same course where I had once been a student. Later, together with director Menelick de Carvalho, I took on the role of version coordinator for the Advanced Musical course, where I was responsible for adapting the lyrics for the production workshops of Sweeney Todd and Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812.
When we staged original musicals at CAL, I worked on adapting the script for the jukebox musical A Lira dos 20 Anos and served as both co-lyricist and adapter for the original musical Hoje é Dia de Rock, based on José Vicente’s classic of the same name.
Speaking of original lyrics, in 2023, I directed, adapted, and wrote the lyrics for the original musical O Inspetor Geral – Um Musical, based on Gogol’s classic.
In my partnership with Menelick, we adapted and translated—and also directed (he as director, I as assistant)—the musical Yank!, which won the Prêmio Musical Brasil for Best Brazilian Adaptation in 2018 and the 17th Prêmio Cenym do Teatro Nacional for Best Adapted Song in 2017.
Last year, I adapted the Brazilian production of Stranger Sings!, the parody musical of Stranger Things.
In 2019, I directed and adapted (which is not very common in the operatic field) the operetta Une Éducation Manquée by Emmanuel Chabrier for the Ópera Studio project at UFRJ. I am also the lyric adapter for Dentro do Bosque, an academic production of Into the Woods by CEFTEM, for Legally Blonde – The Musical, and, of course, for In The Heights, both produced by In Cena.
Klaus: How did the invitation to adapt In The Heights by Lin-Manuel Miranda for In Cena come about?
Vitor: I had already worked with them before on In Cena’s production of Legally Blonde. The director was the same, Victor Maia, and he asked me to adapt the lyrics for In The Heights.
Klaus: When I watched the musical at Teatro João Caetano, what impressed me the most was your work with the rhymes. It was clear how much effort you put into preserving the original scheme as much as possible. In your view, what sets Lin-Manuel Miranda apart from other lyricists?
Vitor: Yes. I truly don’t compromise on rhymes. I believe that preserving the poetic form of a song is just as important as maintaining its meaning. Adapting lyrics always involves making choices and requires a deep understanding of the text. You have to convey what the author intended with each moment and section of the songs—including the sound. Rhymes also help the audience understand the lyrics because they create rhythmic and musical coherence.
When it comes to Lin-Manuel, for me, his distinction isn’t just his obsession with rhymes—which many lyricists have, like Sondheim, for example—but the way he plays with rhythm. That’s extremely complicated and difficult to translate into Portuguese. Lin writes a lot of pauses in the songs, which makes finding a phrasing that makes sense for us quite challenging.
Klaus: Does adapting Lin-Manuel Miranda require prioritizing rhymes over meaning to capture his essence, or do you believe that the balance between form and content should prevail?
Vitor: In my opinion, the lyric adapter should approach Lin’s work like a big puzzle. In fact, I approach every adaptation this way, but in his case, it’s a thousand-piece puzzle.
To adapt lyrics, you have to focus on meaning, meter, prosody, and poetry, primarily. There are other aspects, but these are the main ones. So, you make choices, deciding what’s most important at each moment, always trying not to give up 100% on anything.
And with Lin, you have to be creative because he uses a lot of unusual rhythm and rhyme schemes—rhymes in the middle of a sentence, in the middle of a word, two stressed syllables rhyming with a paroxytone, and so on.
In my opinion, the lyric adapter should approach Lin’s work like a big puzzle.
Vitor Louzada
Klaus: What was the most difficult song or section to adapt in In The Heights?
Vitor: Any part of the rap was particularly difficult for me. The opening song, for example, took me weeks of work.
I can’t guarantee it was the hardest, but it certainly left a strong impression on me.
Another particularly challenging thing is integrating Spanish—very similar to Portuguese—organically, in a way that still feels like a different language.
Klaus: The work of a lyric adapter is fascinating: we spend hours polishing each word to find the perfect fit, even knowing that many of these amazing solutions in Portuguese will go unnoticed by the audience.
Vitor: I find this curious, but in a way, it’s even beautiful. I believe the adaptation should be invisible; it should be presented in such a way that the audience doesn’t feel strange about the phrase or the word choices. I strive for it not to scream, “This was translated from another language.” Is it always possible? No. But I try.
I believe the adaptation should be invisible; it should be presented in such a way that the audience doesn’t feel strange about the phrase or the word choices. I strive for it not to scream, “This was translated from another language.”
Vitor Louzada
In summary, the adaptation of In The Heights for Brazil reflects the care needed to preserve the complexity of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s works, balancing rhyme, rhythm, and meaning. This ensures that the essence and impact of his music are maintained, regardless of the language.
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