Alicia Keys Makes Broadway Magic with ‘Hell’s Kitchen’ (Review)
metroweekly.comHell’s Kitchen. Reviews were fairly solid, and plenty of buzz was generated when the jukebox tuner premiered at the end of last year at New York’s Public Theater.It didn’t even complete its run in January before Keys, along with producers, announced a transfer to Broadway, where it opened in April.New Yorkers — and specifically those who live in the midtown neighborhood the show is named for (now a predominantly gay mecca) — will appreciate that the locality is having a moment in the spotlight.
Given critical and audience reaction, it should be represented for quite some time.It’s one of the few shows on Broadway with consistently phenomenal voices from stage veterans and debut makers alike — all of whom are performing the 15-time Grammy Award winner’s music and lyrics.
No matter one’s opinion of Keys, she is an undeniably accomplished composer whose music has quickly become part of the cultural zeitgeist.While Keys is not in the show, her 17-year-old self is portrayed by Maleah Joi Moon, a newcomer hailed by the New York Times as a breakout star of 2023.
At just 21, Moon is a commanding presence whose performance straddles a fine line between belligerence and determination.Young Ali wants what every other teenager who has ever lived wants: a place of acceptance and the discovery of their purpose for life.
Read more on metroweekly.com