Keys' catalog of songs makes up this new musical about a young girl coming of age in Manhattan. The story is inspired by, but not identical to, Keyes' own upbringing.
Discover where Alicia Keys' own dreams were made. 16-time Grammy Award-winning musician is working on a new Broadway musical hell's kitchen It's been around for more than a decade, but its origins date back to the 90s.
Loosely inspired by her formative years of that decade, hell's kitchen The series centers on 17-year-old Ali (Malea Joy Moon) and her mother Jersey (Shoshana Bean), each learning tough but necessary lessons about love, community, and change in each Manhattan neighborhood. And as Ali begins to seek her own way in her world, she also discovers her passion for the piano.
The story is told entirely by Keys' score, including hits like “No One” and “If I Ain't Got You,” as well as new songs like “Kaleidscope.”but hell's kitchen The show is not an autobiographical show, as Keyes and screenwriter Christopher Diaz made dramatic changes to Ali's story to make it their own.
Learn more about Keyes' life and location. hell's kitchen Music is similar to it, but different from it. Then go to Shubert's Theater (just a stone's throw from his real Hell's Kitchen) and see for yourself.
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Alicia Keys lived in Manhattan Plaza.
Manhattan Plaza, located at 43rd Street and 9th Street in Hell's Kitchen, is a federally subsidized apartment building for performing arts professionals. Its mission to provide affordable housing now extends to neighborhood residents and seniors.
Keys' mother, Teresa Augello (also known as Terrier Joseph), moved to Manhattan from Toledo, Ohio to pursue a career in performance. She was also a paralegal, but her part-time acting job secured her housing at Manhattan Plaza. Augello raised Key there, often working multiple jobs to support Key.
“She's the quintessential New York story,” Keyes said.
hell's kitchen In this way, it faithfully reflects Keyes' life. Ali's girlfriend's mother, Ms. Jersey, raised her in Manhattan Plaza and works long hours as her paralegal. That's one of the differences between real life and musicals. Although Augello appeared in various stage and film projects in New York throughout Keyes' life, Jersey completely abandoned her acting career before the Keyes incident. hell's kitchen.
Keys was raised by a single mother.
This much hell's kitchen That's true. On her record, Ms. Keyes said her mother was hard on her, but she taught the young Ms. Keyes how to be strong, mature and independent.
A major part of the musical is Ali and Jersey's journey to love and understand each other more as a small family. Although Jersey can be overprotective at times due to musical flaws, she has learned to forgive her daughter for her mistakes and chances. In return, Ali comes to appreciate her mother's deep love and her compassion.
Keyes' father was not present in her life.
Important (no pun intended) plot points are: hell's kitchen Ali's father is a traveling piano player who is rarely seen during the character's early teens, but reappears intermittently. In contrast, Keyes' own father was completely absent from her life.
However, she said in an interview that she did not hold a grudge against him. Keyes wrote the character of Davis, Ali's father, with compassion to avoid perpetuating harmful stereotypes about her absentee father.
Hell's Kitchen was a lively but rough neighborhood.
Hell's Kitchen is now a thriving restaurant district, an LGBTQ+ hub, and a lively neighbor to the theater district. But back in the '90s, when Keys set musicals in his teens, the area around Times Square was considered a seedy place. This included “Hell's Kitchen,'' and from an early age, Keyes was exposed to addiction, violence, and sex along with art.
in hell's kitchenBut we see this region the same way we see young ants, full of hope. It's a place full of fascinating energy, sounds and opportunities. Despite the difficult circumstances, artists like Keys were still born.
The musical also addresses police brutality and discrimination, as Keyes and Ali's neighborhood community was largely made up of people of color. Characters like Knack, a street drummer and Ali's lover, represent people who are wrongly stereotyped as dangerous in Hell's Kitchen and other areas.
Alicia Keys discovered her passion for music at an early age.
in hell's kitchen, Ali first started playing the piano at the age of 17, when he heard his neighbor playing the piano in the common room of his building. His neighbor Miss Liza Jane teaches Ali how to play, which blossoms Ali's passion for making music.
In fact, Keys became interested in piano when he was 6 years old, and when he was 10, a neighbor gave his family a piano as a gift. She Keys wrote her first song at the age of 12 and received her classical piano training until the age of 18.
Although Keys' exact journey as a musician differs from his actual journey, hell's kitchen I'm drawing that, but the most important thing is the same. The piano helped Keys find his voice, his confidence, and his future.
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Photo courtesy of Hell's Kitchen on Broadway. (Photo courtesy of Mark J. Franklin)
