(©Mark J. Franklin)
I never thought I would choke when I heard about sandwiches.But near the end I was there hell's kitchen, the heroine Ali goes completely red-faced when she informs her mother that she made a sandwich in case her father, who is responsible for bringing dinner, doesn't show up, but he doesn't show it. Rather than live with hunger and disappointment, Ali came up with a contingency plan. This is something we all have to learn in a city full of charming flakes. This is the moment when she grows up.
It seems like just one moment to highlight in this gloriously gigantic new Broadway musical featuring songs by Alicia Keys, which just moved to the Shubert Theater after a sold-out public performance downtown. But amidst the noise and chaos of one of the world's biggest, loudest, and flashiest cities, shining a spotlight on the little things is… hell's kitchen I am very happy. It takes you inside Ali's head and reminds you what it was like to be a teenager eagerly stepping into a world of possibilities but also pitfalls. Bookwriter Christopher Diaz deserves a lot of credit for giving this epic musical such a solid foundation.
Rather than writing an uneven and dubious career retrospective, as many jukebox musicals do, Diaz explores the important moments in the life of 17-year-old New Yorker Ali (played by Marea Joy Moon in her must-see Broadway debut). It gives us chapters. She only loosely resembles Alicia Keys's life. She lives in a small apartment on Route 42 with her mother, known only as Jersey Girl (Shoshana Bean).n.d. Floor of Manhattan Plaza, a subsidized housing complex. Her father, jazz pianist Davis (Brandon Victor Dixon), is mostly absent, so her mother must juggle Ali's two jobs while guiding Ali through her fertile adulthood. This was something her own mother had not been able to do. And when Ali starts dating a handsome amateur percussionist named Knack (a charmingly understated Chris Lee), Jersey worries her history will repeat itself.
(©Mark J. Franklin)
Like Ponyboy, Ali is our narrator, reflecting on the events of the play with a tone of candor and self-awareness. When Nak accuses her of only being attracted to him because it will scandalize her mother, she retorts, “That's not what I think,” and then she turns to us and says, “That's not what I think.” “It's a little different from what I thought,” he admitted.
Moon is the star, immediately charming us with her matter-of-fact dialogue and subtly dubious facial expressions. She's a moody teenager, but from her downcast lips comes her most beautiful, joyful voice, singing “The River,” “Kaleidoscope,” and “Work on It.” The performance will be perfect for a concert. This is a surprisingly mature performance for such a young actor, and she never fails to outdo the seasoned pros around her.
Bean brings her signature vocal pyrotechnics to the party and stops the show with “Pawn It All.” She has real chemistry with Dixon, who captivates both the stage and the audience with his interpretations of “Not Even the King” and “If I Ain't Got You.” We know exactly why Jersey fell in love with Davis, even though Jersey loves Davis' career even more and is willing to break her heart over and over again to prove it. . We can't control our emotions, but we can control how we react to them.
(©Mark J. Franklin)
“Listen to that pain. Do something with it,” Miss Liza Jane commands Ali, gesturing toward the piano stand. Keshia Lewis gives her masterful performance as Ali's wise and strict piano teacher, who overcomes her own pain to continue her playing and pass on her knowledge before it's too late. I am determined to do so. When she hears her rendition of “Perfect Way to Die,” she feels like she's listening to God's alto voice.
Keys' music has never sounded better, with top-notch vocalists in the main and supporting cast. I was especially struck by Jackie Leung. She exuded pure joy as she belted out “Girl on Fire.”
Everything about Michael Greif's production is oversized for the trip uptown. Robert Brill's moving scaffolding set was tall, giving the city's vertical expanse, while also allowing Greif to allow his actors to hang out on balconies and fire escapes. Ali lives in the city that never sleeps, and she is just one of the millions of people she loves. In Peter Nigrini's skyline projections, everything seems to go on forever. During “Empire State of Mind” it's so vivid you feel like you're on a helicopter flying over Manhattan.
(©Mark J. Franklin)
Costume designer Dede Ayte worked closely with Nigrini and lighting designer Natasha Katz to ensure that every staged picture exploded with color and specificity. Flashbacks in Tompkins Square Park are filled with fall, while Manhattan Plaza's Ellington Room is bursting with intimate teal and jewel tones. At the time of “Kaleidoscope”. It all comes together to create a fairytale version of 90s New York, where the music video materializes spontaneously on the streets.
The orchestration (by Tom Kitt and Adam Blackstone) incorporates onstage bucket drums and a band (bravely led by Lily Lynn), and surprisingly never throws the sound out of balance. there is no. I think sound designer Gareth Owen is a wizard. Several times, he swears, he felt a wave of bass pass through the audience and make his hair stand on end.
Camille A. Brown's energetic, genre-defying choreography explodes from the stage, with dancers appearing periodically as the embodiment of Ali's emotions, expressing her emotions better than any words can. All of them come together to tell the story of a restless city full of unfulfilled dreams, a place that keeps moving with or without her, but a place where she is happy to join in the dance.
We will never lose sight of Ali and her. small Story — This is another testament to Diaz’s storytelling ability. yes, hell's kitchen A love letter to New York. But more importantly, this is the journey of one city kid to becoming a proper adult. It's not a happy one, but it's a hopeful beginning.
