By: Tori Manuel
With the 2024 Tony Awards season on the horizon, director Michael Greif’s production ‘Hell’s Kitchen’ is stepping up with a collection of thirteen total nominations. ‘Hell’s Kitchen’ is a jukebox musical loosely inspired by the life of fifteen-time Grammy Award winner Alicia Keys who breathed life into the music and lyricism of the show herself. According to the New York Times, ‘Hell’s Kitchen’ was thirteen years in the making, and every single ounce of care and dedication is evident on stage.
“I consider this my first child,” began Alicia Keys in an interview with Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show. “Before Egypt, was ‘Hell’s Kitchen’, and now it’s coming to life. Thirteen years and now it’s really on broadway.”
The show’s story follows 17-year-old Ali’s journey to formulate her identity and chase after her creative callings as she navigates the unique energy of Manhattan’s Hell’s Kitchen in the 90s. As she seeks to form her identity under the careful protection of her mother, we watch as both her character and relationships flourish and grow on the Shubert Theatre stage.
At my showing, we were quickly immersed into young Ali’s world through the charismatic and spirited performance of actress Gianna Harris, filling in for Maleah Joi Moon who is currently nominated at the Tonys for Best Performance by a Leading Actress. In each spectacular rendition, Ali’s character conveys a unique sense of hunger and dynamic perspective.
‘Hell’s Kitchen’ reintroduces familiar aspects of Alicia Keys’ upbringing and steps along her path toward seizing her artistic calling in the music world and navigating her community, along with a few twists. Fictitious story beats exclusive to the musical’s narrative flow offer enhanced insight into the weight of Keys’ cultural influence and upbringing, ultimately providing a very moving experience.
A key show-stopping performance that captivated many, including myself, was by Kecia Lewis, portraying the role of Miss Liza Jane. This new character embodied a strong yet graceful energy on stage, as her piano playing captivates the attention of Ali and she soon becomes an inspiring mentor figure. In reality, Alicia Keys started playing piano at a much younger age and her teacher was Margaret Pine.
However, Miss Liza Jane’s character instills the gift of piano playing in young Ali and commands her to own and utilize the strength as a form of expression that can never be taken away from her. Kecia Lewis’ beautiful performance of “Authors of Forever” conveyed those intentions wholeheartedly. With lyrical lines such as “My job is to prepare you to create your own future, Your job is to get ready to write your own story,” Lewis’ character cemented herself as more of a guiding light and additional maternal figure in Ali’s life, rather than only a teacher.
This show-stopper also tapped into the deeper rooted bond between Miss Liza Jane and Ali, as two Black women using the gifts they have been granted in order to make sense of the world, themselves, and to survive another day. Ali’s pain and emotional distress frequently leads her back to the piano. A montage with photos of past African American musical talents graced the stage, a fitting backdrop for the following lyrics: “We are builders, we are breakers, we are givers, we are takers and it’s alright. We are seven billion stories.”
While the musical’s story may seem grounded in the Hell’s Kitchen setting, adapting unique and familiar New York energies, in moments such as this, the story extends far beyond that and acquires a whole new meaning.
“You are an honorary New Yorker when you come to ‘Hell’s Kitchen.’ You get to just be from New York for that moment,” Alicia Keys said in an interview for CBS Sunday Morning. “You get to feel the energy of it, some of that grit, strength, and fire.”
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