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★★★☆☆ 16-time Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter brings his music and vision to Broadway
Location, location, location.
The simple fact is that after it premieres at Downtown's Public Theater in late 2023; hell's kitchen The move uptown, a stone's throw from the show's namesake area, isn't the reason this musical is better performed on Broadway. (Can you?) But it certainly doesn't hurt. Because Ali (played by the effervescent Marea Joy Moon) says that she and her mother live on the 42nd floor of a 44-story building on 43rd Street between 9th and 10th Avenues. When I say, “It’s right in the heart of the neighborhood,” it’s because some people know. As Hell's Kitchen,'' the Shubert Theater audience erupted in applause and cheers.
Locals know she's referring to Manhattan Plaza. Manhattan Plaza is a high-rise housing complex that houses performers and is built at an affordable price. Hong Kong Creator and composer Alicia Keys spent her formative years in the world. And tourists will certainly have heard of this region (even if their frame of reference does not extend beyond it) Taxi driver).
[Read Bob Verini’s ★★★☆☆ review here.]
That quickly draws a crowd into the that.And the first number we hear is “The Gospel” from Keys' 2016 album here, in an interview with PBS, Keys called the song “an ode to New York…the New York that I know, who lives there, what they look like, what stories they have.” “It's about a door that lets people in and out…” the song explains. and our dreams and wishes, what we are running away from, where we will end up, how we will get there, and who we are. ”
Keyes' own words perhaps best describe her own show. It's her ode to New York, a love letter to the city (and people) that helped her become the artist she is today.
hell's kitchen The production is based on her catalog of hits and includes some similar biographical elements, such as a girl named Ali, her eventual acquisition of a piano, and the Manhattan Plaza locale. Masu.But it's not a so-called biomusical M.J. or beautiful. This is simply the story of a sassy 17-year-old struggling to find herself in 1990s New York. (Dede Ayte is the designer responsible for perfectly spot-on retro streetwear looks, from rugby shirts and logo jerseys to baggy jeans and Timberland boots.) Along the way, she She falls in love with the much older Nok (Chris Lee), a painter. / Bucket Drummer; fights with her mother Jersey (Shoshana Bean) every time they eat. And she, in a fit of rage, wanders into the Ellington Room of her building and meets Miss Liza Jane, a talented pianist and fierce role model who becomes her teacher and mentor. He meets the powerful Keshia Lewis.
Their first encounter with Miss Liza Jane, a new song for the show that represents Ali's artistic awakening, creates an intoxicating “kaleidoscope.” ” she sings. It's an exhilarating number, with dancers moving in kaleidoscopic overlapping circles, perfectly placed moments. (A humble suggestion to Tony Award producers: “Kaleidoscope” would be a beautiful song to open a television broadcast. Keys could also start the song on piano. Plus, it would feature Moon and a great ensemble.) And host Ariana DeBose would easily accept it (based on intricate choreography by Camille A. Brown).
If only all of Keys' songs could easily fit into Christopher Diaz's libretto. The song that hurts the most is “Pawn It All,” sung by an angry Jersey to Ali's father, Davis (a velvet-voiced Brandon Victor Dixon). Perhaps the creators simply wanted to give Bean an eye-catching song, and she may have wanted to give her character something to do besides pouring water, chopping vegetables, and serving dinner. But did she burst into her ex-boyfriend's audition at a nightclub and throw all her jewelry at Booker? And why is Bean belting it out with his eyes closed like he's on stage in 54 Below?
“The Gospel,” “The River,” and of course “Empire State of Mind,” that’s it here. hell's kitchen It really shines. Notice how Brown's choreography, a masterful mix of ballroom, step, and modern, captures the city's perpetually chaotic movement. It's no spoiler to reveal that Keys and Jay-Z's 2009 anthem “Empire State of Mind” immortalizes “the concrete jungle where dreams are made.” There's no other way to end this Keyes ode to New York.
hell's kitchen It opened on April 20, 2024 at Broadway's Shubert Theater. Tickets and information: hellskitchen.com
