Back in 2015, when “Hamilton” was the toast of Broadway, director Thomas Kail always knew where to find the musical’s creator and star Lin-Manuel Miranda when he wasn’t on stage.
“I would hear something coming from the dressing room, and I was like, ‘Is he writing ‘Moana‘ again?'” Kail says.
Indeed, Miranda was using his downtime on “Hamilton” to compose the soundtrack for Disney’s 2016 animated adventure “Moana,” which includes such memorable tunes as “How Far I’ll Go” and “You’re Welcome.” In between rehearsals, Kail remembers Miranda recruiting cast members like Phillipa Soo to record demos of songs before sending them off to the studio.
“‘Moana’ was right alongside me in that way,” says Kail, who also directed Miranda’s other Broadway hit, “In The Heights,” as well as the FX’s series “Fosse/ Verdon.” “It felt like a friend that lived in another town but moved to be really close to us.”
After a decade in its orbit, Kail got his own chance to dive in to the world of “Moana” with the live-action remake, which opens in theaters on July 10. Like the original, the story revolves around the strong-willed daughter of a village chief who is chosen by the ocean to restore prosperity to her island. Newcomer Catherine Laga’aia stars as the plucky heroine Moana while Dwayne Johnson reprises his role from the animated films as the tattooed demigod Maul, who helps the Polynesian heroine on her journey.
