Marea Joy Moon makes her Broadway debut in front of the Shubert Theater hell's kitchenwith music by 16-time Grammy Award winner Alicia Keys. Photo: Erin Patrice O'Brien
When Marea Joy Moon was approached about auditioning for the lead role in the film, hell's kitchen, Alicia Keys' new musical on Broadway, was nominated for 13 Tony Awards, but she initially turned them down. The actor, who uses she/they pronouns, had never worked on stage professionally and fell in love with acting while appearing in a show at Franklin Township Public Schools. “He didn't feel like he was good enough to meet something of that quality,” Moon says. She had recently dropped out of Pace University, where she was studying musical theater to pursue a career in television acting. “I didn't want to bare my soul any more,” she says.
Mr. Moon's high school drama teacher, Timothy Walton, stepped into the gap and encouraged Mr. Moon to try out for the role. hell's kitchen And I coached her through the auditions. “It's his fault all of this is happening,” Moon said.
in hell's kitchenis loosely based on Keyes' life, with Moon, 21, playing Allie, a teenager who lives at home with her mother. hell's kitchenIn the 1990s, New York City skyscrapers were experiencing “big life events around love, loss, family, and individuality,” Moon said.
hell's kitchen Director Michael Greif says he knew right away that Moon was perfect for the role. “She has great intuition and flexibility and interpreted the content of her music and text very smartly, bravely and uniquely.”
When Mun was in the sixth grade, he tried out for a school play. wizard of oz, and won the role of Dorothy. It became her obsession and she appeared on every show until she graduated from high school. “In Franklin Township, she fostered the arts and cared deeply about nurturing young artists,” Moon said. “My middle school musical theater director, Terry Seggio, taught me how to sing with emotion when I was 10 years old. I was really, really, really lucky. I'm still very grateful for that. ”
But Mun's young age, inexperience, and overnight success make it difficult for him to believe in himself. “Sometimes the impostor syndrome catches up with me and leaves me. why are you here?”
Fortunately, the support Mr. Moon received in Franklin Township remains with them. The New Jersey native has kept in touch with his teachers, “some of whom I love very much and who are still like family to me,” and who attended the Off-Broadway production at the Public Theater last fall. He came to the premiere of
President Moon also has support. hell's kitchen A team that includes Alicia Keys herself. During rehearsals, Keys made sure Moon was okay, drinking water, and keeping a diary.
“She's everything you want and more,” Moon says of the superstar. “Because she takes care of others, she inspires me to take care of myself.”
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