“Hell’s Kitchen” is Hell Yeah, Great on Broadway! This new, fabulous musical is conceived by Alicia Keys, who, of course, does the music and lyrics. It features some of her most beloved, inspiring songs, with a very engaging book by Kristoffer Diaz. This musical is creativity at its best! There is also music supervision by Adam Blackstone, orchestrations by Tom Kitt and Blackstone, arrangements by Keys and Blackstone, music consulting by Kitt, musical direction by Lily Ling, stunning, delightful and inspiring choreography by Camille A. Brown and spot-on direction by Michael Greif. This musical is coming off a very successful run at the Public Theatre. And now that it is on Broadway, I know it has found a home! Keys conceived of the idea to write this semi-autobiographical story about growing up in an artists’ building in Hell’s Kitchen in Manhattan.
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The audience gets to hear the story of Ali, a 17-year-old girl, who lives with her single mother, Jersey. Her mother works two jobs to make ends meet and tries to have a tight leash on Ali with the help of friends and the building doorman, Ray. Ali perceives all of this as strict. Ali also shares that her life is lonely in their apartment. She introduces the audience to the creative people that live throughout her building. It is an environment where creative juices thrive. Ali meets Miss Liza Jane who practices piano every day in the Ellington Room and Miss Liza Jane ends up teaching Ali about much more than piano. She teaches about her heritage and the female ancestors who have come before her, expressing themselves through the art of piano playing and making music. Ali finds herself attracted to a man named Knuck, who plays a plastic bucket and sticks outside of her building with his two friends. Ali longs for love and excitement. She wants to be a part of the thriving city she lives in. Her interactions with Knuck prove that you can’t judge a book by its cover. She thinks that he is a thug, but he is definitely not. In fact, he is actually devastated by how society judges him based on how he looks. We get to know a lot about the mother/daughter relationship between Jersey and Ali, as well as Ali’s father Davis, which is a painful one. Ali has two best friends, Tiny and Jessica, who try to get her to reconsider her attraction to Knuck, due to her mother’s predictable negative reaction, but they can’t dissuade her.
This musical is a gorgeous experience to behold as we get to hear so many Alicia Keys songs including “You Don’t Know My Name,” “Kaleidoscope,” “Teenage Love Affair,” “Un-thinkable (I’m Ready)”, “No One”, “Empire State of Mind” and of course “Girl On Fire.” There are many other songs as well that will grab your attention and keep you amazed. What I love the most about this musical is that Ali isn’t the only one performing these songs. In fact, they are generously portioned out to the cast members and it makes sense because this cast is full of powerhouse voices. Maleah Joi Moon is making her Broadway debut as Ali and without a doubt, this girl is on fire! She is a star in every sense of the word! Shoshana Bean is poignant, empathetic, and powerful as Jersey. She shows the character’s protective maternal side, while also displaying vulnerability. She has such an extraordinary vocal instrument, you will find yourself taking a breath when she finishes a song, because she does it with such intensity! Brandon Victor Dixon as Davis is delectable! He has a natural stage presence and a charm that simply captivates. Kecia Lewis-Evans as Miss Liza Jane is a force to be reckoned with. Her voice is something out of a heavenly choir, it’s stunning! She plays this character with a great deal of heart, humor and reverence for the ancestors. Her character is someone who genuinely cares about those around her. Chris Lee is touching as Knuck. He represents the unfortunate scenario that happens to so many young Black men who are judged by their looks as a threat, when they are anything but that. His character’s attraction to Ali is innocent and sweet. Jackie Leon plays Jessica, one of Ali’s best friends and this young lady has such an amazing, phenomenal voice. What a delight she is to listen to! Vanessa Ferguson is wonderful as Tiny, Ali’s other best friend. Other members of this extraordinary cast included Nyseli Vega who plays Millie, one of Jersey’s best friends and she brought the spice! At the performance I attended, the role of Crystal, Jersey’s other best friend, was performed by Badia Farha and she did a magnificent job with it. Chad Carstarphen was charming in the role of Ray the doorman, who looked out for Ali per Jersey’s request. Lamont Walker II and Jakeim Hart play Knuck’s friends, Riq and Q, and they delivered amusing performances.
Of course, with all that great music playing you have to have funky dressed, phenomenal dancers doing choreography that would knock your socks off, and this musical definitely has that. The energy and moves on the stage got a few bodies moving in the audience. I was one of them! The costumes by Dede Ayite were perfect! Scenic design was beautifully done by Robert Brill, as was lighting design by Natasha Katz, sound design by Gareth Owen and projection design by Peter Nigrini. Seeing this musical will put everyone in a “Empire State of Mind.” The audience was on fire with a standing ovation that continued even when the actors had left the stage!