NEW YORK — Alicia Keys' music lends itself well to jukebox musicals. The bursts of energy that flow from hits like “Girl on Fire” are a perfect dynamic burst for a show that clearly depicts Keys' own origin story during her childhood. Hell's Her Kitchen is a tower built in Manhattan Plaza, a federally-subsidized artists' mecca that transformed the neighborhood, attracting everyone from saxophonist Ricky Ford to actor Timothée Chalamet. The Gotham tower has protected her creatives.
“She's Living and Burning in the World,” a thrilling song that evokes the title of a new musical here at the Shubert Theater, matches Keyes' 17-year-old self. “She's full of disaster. But she knows she can fly away.”
Hell's Kitchen also includes many other Keys songs, including “Fallin',” “No One,” and “If I Ain't Got You.” But essentially, writer Christopher Diaz has taken the lean lyrics of “Girl on Fire” and crafted a biographical plot that's fun, romantic, and endearing.
In it, Ali (Marea Joy Moon), Key's alter ego, is depicted opening a building's elevator to a loving community of dancers, musicians, and actors, many of whom are substitutes for their parents. , the mentors, among them a determined old pianist and teacher. Miss Liza Jane (Keyshia Lewis). A visit from the soulful Miss Liza and her Ellington Room piano brings the rebellious but deeply emotional, biracial Ali into a quarrel with her ultra-protective white mother Jersey (Shoshana Bean). and being able to move on from the disappointment of a mostly absent but well-meaning father. Davis (Brandon Victor Dixon) is a jazz musician who takes on the other side of Ali's musical education.
In the same way that Lin-Manuel Miranda's In the Heights was an homage to the people of Washington Heights, Hell's Kitchen is a more personal show, but one that is a tribute to the art of Manhattan Plaza. It is also a homage to history. Its music and lyrics are written by the extremely talented star and tell about her formative years, and much of its appeal lies in your fascination with it all. I suspect there are many who embrace Alicia Keys' young life, even if they sometimes wonder what's going on on the other floor.
There's a lot to enjoy here, including Lewis' incredible performance, not to mention how director Michael Greif adds a distinctive steely edge to deeply sentimental material. Even better, choreographer Camille A. Brown combines energetic movements for an exciting performance without straying too far from what a real teenager would look like striding down 10th Avenue after school. I am. There's nothing over-the-top in Robert Brill's set, but the show is visually stunning. Their enthusiasm and energy is so vibrant.
That being said, after reading this book you immediately realize that a mother and daughter go through their teenage years struggling and eventually reach a mutually appreciative relationship with a spiritual and creative mentor. It should come as no surprise that the story is instantly recognizable and its predictable exit creates a sense of necessity. Loss and recovery in Act 2.
It's great that Keys is able to do that, especially since she sparked such a huge Broadway tribute to her mother, played so well by Bean. While cynical marketers may see this as a ploy for the ever-important Broadway audience of the mother-daughter duo, it still feels sincere as Bean tries to keep everything grounded. This is also because I am determined.
Moon, a young actress, has a difficult task here and makes a charming lead role. But she doesn't always sing right in the middle of the notes in these fiery Keys songs, or at least she didn't in the performances I saw. To be fair, in the typical exhaustion leading up to opening night, her instrument didn't sound like it was in the healthiest condition. So that may not be your experience.
But Dixon sounds just as great as Davis, and certainly embodies the unreliable charm that is the quintessential musician father. I had to battle some irritation here and there with the breadth of the story's strokes.
But kudos to Keys for letting her younger self, known as an artistically inclined teenager, feel in a pinch.
At the Shubert Theater, 225 W. 44th St., New York. www.hellskitchen.com
Chris Jones is a Tribune critic.
cjones5@chicagotribune.com
