New Musical HELL'S KITCHEN, Based on the Life of Alicia Keys, to Premiere This Year- Page 5

[RippedMan]

Posted: 10/29/23 at 2:17pm

To me the title is wildly unimaginative. 

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 10/29/23 at 2:37pm

Melissa25 said: "I am getting banner ads on this site for this. Kind of strange since it is sold out."

I saw a "happy start of performances to the Company" banner ad ––  which I suppose is the more modern (and cheaper) equivalent of running a banner on the bottom of the Arts section of the NYT congratulating the company on their first preview.

[mcsquared]

Posted: 10/29/23 at 6:31pm

There are about 7 tickets that opened up for tonight's performance in case anyone is near the theater.

[Melissa25]

Posted: 10/29/23 at 6:41pm

ErmengardeStopSniveling: I saw a "happy start of performances to the Company" banner ad ––  which I suppose is the more modern (and cheaper) equivalent of running a banner on the bottom of the Arts section of the NYT congratulating the company on their first preview.

Got it. I didn't notice the "Happy First Performance" verbiage before.  Makes sense now. Thanks.

[mcsquared]

Posted: 11/1/23 at 4:55pm

Edit--never mind, made it on time. Definitely worth it.

Updated On: 11/3/23 at 04:55 PM

[Melissa25]

Posted: 11/4/23 at 6:04pm

A few seats opened up for both shows tomorrow.

[BETTY22]

Posted: 11/4/23 at 7:57pm

I'm going in a few weeks....I must admit I was less excited about this after Alicia's interview with NYT - where she talked about her husband/producer hating musicals.....

[PipingHotPiccolo]

Posted: 11/4/23 at 8:49pm

Melissa25 said: "A few seats opened up for both shows tomorrow."

Rushed to see if we could grab some, and saw single seats in the way back for $175/pop. More power to em if they can convince people to plunk down that cash, last minute, for this.

[TaffyDavenport]

Posted: 11/5/23 at 12:00am

Damn, this show is good. Formulaic, sure, but really effective, and Maleah Joi Moon makes a stunning debut. Shoshana blows the roof off, and Kecia Lewis threatens to walk away with the whole thing. I get that being big at the Public doesn't always translate to Broadway, but I think this show is going to be BIG.

Actual running time of the show is about 2:15, but late start and intermission got us out of the 7p show out at 9:40p.

Updated On: 11/18/23 at 12:00 AM

[muscle23ftl]

Posted: 11/5/23 at 7:10pm

Add me to the list of people that enjoyed this show!

[BoringBoredBoard40]

Posted: 11/7/23 at 11:33pm

This has best musical written all over it, several cast members confirmed it is making a quick transfer to Broadway and if it ends up opening last it will probably have the energy and momentum.

My ONLY complant is I wish people were actually playing the piano and not miming the entire show, also the friend characters of both Ali and Knuc are a bit under-developed/utilized and could use a bit more fleshing out

Maleah Joi Moon is going to be a big star, Kecia Lewis is going to be a tough beat for Best Supporting Actress

Updated On: 11/8/23 at 11:33 PM

[TaffyDavenport]

Posted: 11/7/23 at 11:40pm

Kecia Lewis is supporting/featured, and, yes, she should be a strong contender in that category.

Updated On: 11/7/23 at 11:40 PM

[Ricey2]

Posted: 11/8/23 at 12:09pm

I managed to snag one of the tickets that opened up during the weekend and I am SO glad that I saw it. Truly one of the best things I have seen this year. I will say that I agree that I wish that the friends were more developed, but that is my one gripe?  

[RW3]

Posted: 11/12/23 at 10:42am

The show was featured on CBS Sunday Morning today

Cue Broadway transfer in 3...2...1

Video

[ACL2006]

Posted: 11/12/23 at 11:06am

RW3 said: "The show was featured on CBS Sunday Morning today

Cue Broadway transfer in 3...2...1

Video"

They should just announce their Broadway transfer right after it opens next Sunday.

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 11/12/23 at 11:25am

This show is so special and I hope it transfers immediately. The diversity and inclusiveness will get diverse audiences to show up (much like MJ), because this is actually good and extremely entertaining. Many shows directed at Black audiences failed to land because people are looking to see themselves in characters and just have a fun night out. 

I love everything about this show and there's a reason it's sold out nightly. 

Updated On: 11/12/23 at 11:25 AM

[Dylan Smith4]

Posted: 11/12/23 at 11:56am

I wonder though if they might wait until next season to transfer it as this season is already VERY CROWDED for musicals. I definitely would like to see this if/when it transfers. 

[steven22]

Posted: 11/12/23 at 7:58pm

Saw this today. Maleah Joi Moon is a freaking star. Wow! And she’s on stage basically the entire show. 
 

I hope this transfers…

[kurtal]

Posted: 11/13/23 at 2:30pm

I saw this last night and wanted to share some thoughts.  First, I thought this was a very good show overall and quite close to being excellent.  I'm never quite sure what people consider spoilers and what they don't, so I'm going to err on the side of caution and put most of my opinions behind a spoiler filter.

Non-spoiler content:

The cast is excellent throughout.  Almost all of the main principals really do a wonderful job at all levels, acting, singing, and poetic interpretation.  If this show transfers this season with this cast, I think both Kecia Lewis and Maleah Joe Moon have really strong shots at Tony nominations.  Shoshana Bean and Brandon Victor Dixon could even sneak in, as they're both excellent but in slightly less developed roles (and it's a b*tch of a season).  I was a little less taken with Chris Lee, who was excellent vocally but wasn't quite as compelling on the acting front.

Other thoughts:

 

Click Here To Toggle Spoiler Content

The good; The way they deployed Alicia Keys's catalog was well done.  They started with lesser known  (and the handful of original) numbers so that you were invested in the story and characters before being distracted by her biggest hits.  

When those big hits were deployed, they did a great job adapting them to the stage.  I didn't feel like any of them were overly shoehorned into the show, and her biggest hits were all either exactly right for the moments they were used or adjusted in a way that helped the song feel dramatically integrated.  Giving BVD the start of If I Ain't Got You and Fallin' were excellent choices.  The tempo/style changes on Fallin' were jarring, but fixable.  And using Girl on Fire and Empire State of Mind for big celebratory moments worked (extra smart to use the Alicia Keys version of ESOM instead of the Jay-Z ft. Alicia Keys version).

The overall structure of the show works.  It's a fairly straightforward coming-of-age story, but it hits all of the big emotional moments that it strives for and never feels (at least to me) overly treacly or sentimental.

Room for Improvement:

I do think they're trying to do a bit too much with the book.  There are a whole bunch of ensemble characters who have very small bit parts (Ali's friends, Jersey's friends, Nuck's friends....basically all of the friends) that either need further development or could just be cut.

The Nuck arrest feels the most unnecessary element.  Bringing in the cop and having him be the victim of police mistreatment felt preachy and cartoonish.  I understand wanting to set up Perfect Way to Die (which Kecia Lewis DESTROYS), but they could just as easily have that moment be a story from Liza Jane's past (she's old enough to have lived through the Civil Rights movement).  Because currently it makes Ali's emotional response be about Nuck, and that feels forced.  There's enough family drama to mine between Ali and Nuck and Jersey's overprotectiveness that the extra layer of plot on top of it brought it perilously close to melodrama.

There are a handful of clunky lyrics in the new songs, but nothing unforgivable.

The choreography and staging were interesting and compelling but also claustrophobic and confusing.  Perhaps on a larger stage it will breathe better, but I could have used a slightly smaller ensemble.  There are moments where the choreography really adds to the narrative (I'm forgetting the song, but the choreo during the post-Nuck-moving-to-Atlanta number was FANTASTIC!).  Other times it was unclear why the dancers were there at all.

I think 95% of the book issues could be fixed with a very clear statement from Ali at the beginning of the show that the story that's about to be told is how she remembers it.  The fact that she talks directly to the audience throughout the show implies that, but it could be much more clearly elucidated at the top of the show.  Doing so also could lessen any scrutiny on the choppier parts of the book ("Of course it's a little messy, that's just how *she* remembers it at 17...the details aren't as important").  It's a cheat, of course, but one that could help a lot.

Those are more words than I planned on typing.  All in all I was really impressed by this show and can see it having a healthy life beyond the Public.  I'm rooting for it!

[Up In One]

Posted: 11/13/23 at 11:43pm

Saw Hell's Kitchen Friday Nov 3 so things may have changed since then. Maleah Joi Moon had a cold and was coughing during her dialogue moments, but you'd never know when she sang. There are fantastic female voices galore in this show lead by Maleah, Shoshana Bean, and Kecia Lewis (these two ladies will be vying for supporting awards) and at least six other female ensemble members with amazing voices. I am not a fan of jukebox musicals, they never come close to matching the original top ten hits in performance and they shoehorn songs where they don't belong. Hell's Kitchen is the first catalogue musicals that I was able to enjoy. The book is awful and the set ups hokey, the first-person narrative is distancing, the lead character unlikeable, but the music is glorious. There are enough unfamiliar Keys songs to let you sit back and discover and enjoy. They aren't the greatest musical narrative songs - they don't move the plot forwards, but they sound fantastic. When the Keys hits come in, they are either presented creatively or they harness the emotional moment and wring every tear and enhance every ounce of joy.   I would easily sit through this again. It's like a pop/rock concept concert. Alicia has said this is loosely based on her life.  If liberties were being taken, I am surprised they couldn't get the dramaturgy to work better. Found it funny that Manhattan Plaza and the area around it is presented as if it was a drug torn ghetto when Alicia was 17 (1998).  I've been parking in Manhattan Plaza and walking to or working at the theater(s) from there since the late 70's and was on the wait list for an industry apartment for years, many famous actors lived/live there. It was not in the best shape in the early 70's but theater row and the plaza started the turnaround in the 70's and 80's. I'm surprised the creative staff let that stand - barbed wire is constantly front and center on the projections depicting Manhattan Plaza. Wait how can I forget Brandon Victor Dixon; his vocals will make you melt. 

[amiyagi]

Posted: 11/14/23 at 2:36pm

This extended another week. Tickets on sale  January 9-14.

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 11/14/23 at 2:53pm

I'm glad pretty much everyone who has seen this so far has had a much more enjoyable time than I did when I saw (and I really mean that - not being snarky!)... I guess this one just wasn't for me.

[Robbie2]

Posted: 11/14/23 at 8:15pm

RW3 said: "The show was featured on CBS Sunday Morning today

Cue Broadway transfer in 3...2...1

Video"

 

Broadhurst ?

Updated On: 11/15/23 at 08:15 PM

[Dolly80]

Posted: 11/15/23 at 5:46pm

This has booked the Shubert.

[QueenAlice]

Posted: 11/15/23 at 5:49pm

How is Michael Grief going to direct three Broadway shows between Jan-March. That makes no sense. I bet this sits out until next season.