New Musical HELL'S KITCHEN, Based on the Life of Alicia Keys, to Premiere This Year- Page 6

[lopside]

Posted: 11/15/23 at 5:51pm

QueenAlice said: "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."

Maybe if he thinks that he wouldn't need to do that much directing again on Wine and Roses and this, since they would be quick transfers, with minimal changes. 

[uncageg]

Posted: 11/15/23 at 5:57pm

Robbie2 said: "RW3 said: "The show was featured on CBS Sunday Morning today

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

Video"



Broadhurst"

 

Very Doubtful. A Beautiful Noise probably isn't going anywhere soon. At least not in time for this to get in by Tony Season.

Thanks for the video link. That was a really good piece. I forgot to re-set my DVR to tape that show every Sunday. Really enjoyed the conversation with Brantley.

 

Updated On: 11/15/23 at 05:57 PM

[QueenAlice]

Posted: 11/15/23 at 6:25pm

Even if he has the man power to do it, it’s not really in his best interest to direct competing projects on Broadway:  this season is already completely saturated. Pushing HK to next season would be smart. It could even take the Shubert in the summer 

[Juan Perez2]

Posted: 11/15/23 at 7:10pm

Hey yall,

 

My partner has two staff rate tickets for the show tomorrow, November 16, at 7:00 pm that she is trying to sell for $40 each (at cost). We don’t know where they’ll be, but historically public theater staff rate tickets have been solid views. If you’re interested, shoot me a DM! :)

[Robbie2]

Posted: 11/17/23 at 12:09am

Dolly80 said: "This has booked the Shubert."

I heard from a couple of industry friends that Boop was going to the Shubert spring '24 so, HK is now going into the Shubert? I wonder where Boop will land if it's not coming in this season and waiting for the fall? Boop starts previews Sunday in Chicago and HK opens on Sunday. In the long run, I guess a smarter move for Boop as this season is loaded with new musicals!

[JoeW4]

Posted: 11/17/23 at 12:44am

QueenAlice said: "Even if he has the man power to do it, it’s not really in his best interest to direct competing projects on Broadway"

 

Would be curious to hear you elaborate on this. I'm not sure I agree. It would be one thing if he were the producer of these shows - but as the director, not only does he have considerably less control over when/whether things come to Broadway, it doesn't seem like he has much to lose simply by signing onto them.

All of these projects probably would've found their way to Broadway whether or not he'd signed on to direct their initial pre-Broadway runs (I don't think his direction makes or breaks any of these shows, nor is he the driving creative force behind any of them). In which case, theoretically, these projects would've been competing with each other either way. 

So if his decisions don't affect whether or not these projects compete with each other, he might as well get 3 paychecks out of it instead of 1, while also "placing bets" on 3 different horses in the race. Granted, I guess this doesn't apply to Wine & Roses, since it's a limited run. But for the other 2, he's essentially doubled the odds that he'll have a long-runner on his hands, giving him the steady passive income any artist would covet.

 

[OhHiii]

Posted: 11/17/23 at 8:51am

Yeah Greif’s workload has zero to do about competing with himself and solely based on if his schedule would allow both. As someone said, all 3 of the new musicals he would be directing are transfers with likely little work to be done on the material in between. His associates are likely going to do a lot of running rehearsals with him popping in regularly. 

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 11/18/23 at 10:31am

I thoroughly enjoyed this last night, much much more than I expected to. Fantastic direction and choreo but the highlight of the night was Maleah Joi Moon who, I can't believe, is making their professional debut in this show. It's rare to see someone new onstage and pretty much 100% know you're watching someone who's about to be a big big star. A truly impressive debut. Shoshana Bean also gives us everything we need and expect from her out of this world voice and talent and then there's Kecia Lewis who I didn't even realize was in this until I opened my Playbill and did a little gay gasp - I've loved her for years and she gets some A+ material to work with, here. 

For a jukebox show, I felt the majority of songs fit in well to the story and never really felt shoehorned into the scene, although you're always going to have instances in shows like this where a scene is obviously written to set up one song or another but at least here it didn't cause me to ever roll my eyes. In fact, I appreciated they didn't lend certain songs to plotpoints I expected them to go to. And when (and I wouldn't even say this is a spoiler) "Empire State of Mind" finally comes up (a song that if you've lived in the city for more than five minutes you hear at least once a day by pedicabs or someone on the street), you can feel a sense of hometown pride in the audience and the song goes from "Oh, THAT song again" to the anthem they want it to be and that it was written to be. 

[GingerSnaps2]

Posted: 11/18/23 at 12:04pm

What a delight.  It’s been almost 20 years since Bob Dylan wrote “I was thinking about Alicia Keys, couldn’t keep from crying/when she was born in Hell’s Kitchen, I was living down the line/I’m wondering where in the world Alicia Keys could be.”

That question is answered.  So often we see something wonderful off Broadway that is just too small to be on a larger stage.  This demands one.

I hope others enjoy it as much as I did.

 

P.S.  Jordan, your point about Empire is perfect.

[GiantsInTheSky2]

Posted: 11/18/23 at 6:22pm

HK is doing another work session in March, for what it’s worth. 

[GingerSnaps2]

Posted: 11/18/23 at 7:29pm

GiantsInTheSky2 said: "HK is doing another work session in March, for what it’s worth."

That’s intriguing….

[ACL2006]

Posted: 11/18/23 at 8:25pm

GingerSnaps2 said: "GiantsInTheSky2 said: "HK is doing another work session in March, for what it’s worth."

That’s intriguing…."

summer opening at the Shubert still?

[DramaTeach]

Posted: 11/26/23 at 9:55pm

I have lots of thoughts here:

1) Can Ali be nicer to her mom at the beginning of the show? If we don’t see the love between them at the beginning, why should we care when they have a falling out?

2) The pipes on these people are other worldly! Maleah (what a debut!), Shoshana and Brandon - phew!

3) I am not against tempo changes in general, but the tempo change on Falling didn’t work for me. They were sultry and steamy and then switched to bebop. I agree that Ms. Keys has a lot of ballads and maybe we don’t need all of them, but jazzing up a song that’s one of her greatest hits because it’s perfect as-is and will give the characters that steamy moment should be left alone. 

4) Shoshana Bean is playing herself. I don’t know if that’s a good or bad thing.

5) The most original part of the story is the young girl’s connection to piano playing. Learning the history and feeling that tradition was, for me, a highlight. Because of that, an effective moment would’ve been Ali sitting behind the piano at her teacher’s funeral. She sang a song as her dad played, but SHE needs to be the one to carry that legacy now. Even if she just sits at the piano and then we have a blackout. There’s so much power there that never came to fruition.

I’m sure I’ll have more thoughts tomorrow, but these are my biggies. I really think this could be GREAT, but right now it’s good. The people around me were already singing its praises, but I hope the team does the work to take it to the next level.

[BoringBoredBoard40]

Posted: 11/26/23 at 11:00pm

I really wish the performers were actually playing the piano and not miming, this was one of my big issues with Beautiful also. The story is so built around the piano I know it is such a small nitpick but I hope maybe this somehow changes between now and broadway 

[kurtal]

Posted: 11/26/23 at 11:54pm

BoringBoredBoard40 said: "I really wish the performers were actually playing the piano and not miming, this was one of my big issues with Beautiful also. The story is so built around the piano I know it is such a small nitpick but I hope maybe this somehow changes between now and broadway"

This could be a financial choice.  I know Equity requires additional payment if actors play an instrument.  I'm not sure if there are musicians' union rules that come into play here, too?

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 11/27/23 at 12:20am

kurtal said: "BoringBoredBoard40 said: "I really wish the performers were actually playing the piano and not miming, this was one of my big issues with Beautiful also. The story is so built around the piano I know it is such a small nitpick but I hope maybe this somehow changes between now and broadway"

This could be a financial choice. I know Equity requires additional payment if actors play an instrument. I'm not sure if there are musicians' union rules that come into play here, too?"


The actor/musicians would be members of both 802 and Equity, and as such would be paid as a full actor and a full musician.

I can't speak to the specifics of HK because I haven't seen it yet, but there can also be a myriad of practical & stylistic reasons. Requiring an actor to act, sing, dance, AND play the piano narrows the talent pool significantly. There's also much better quality control over the sound/playing if it's coming from the band (especially if it involves playing along with the orchestra or click track). Directors' opinions will vary, but at some point you have to say "is it better to go for authenticity + possible headaches, OR is it better to leave the instrumental music to the band and hope that the audience suspends disbelief?"

If this is an issue, hopefully the mimicing will be improved with time.

Kind of tangential, but Groff is not actually playing the piano in MERRILY, right? I didn't pay that close attention to his hands but I assumed he wasn't.

Updated On: 11/27/23 at 12:20 AM

[Boysdontcry66]

Posted: 11/30/23 at 6:52pm

If there's any interest, selling 2 tickets for this Saturday evening's performance at 7:00. Unfortunately my husband and I can't go, so figured I'd check in.  I'm a Member at the Public, so purchased tix at a discount, and selling them for what I paid ($115 each).

Updated On: 11/30/23 at 06:52 PM

[GilmoreGirlO2]

Posted: 12/1/23 at 6:27pm

I have 4 tickets to this Sunday evening’s performance (12/3 at 7pm) that me and my party are no longer able to make. Selling them for $150 per ticket, seats are front row center (Row A, seats 4 - 7). DM me if interested!

[Dylan Smith4]

Posted: 12/4/23 at 7:10pm

Spotted this on TikTok. Can annyone else confirm or is this another sham rumor?

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZT85jPYRT/

[TaffyDavenport]

Posted: 12/4/23 at 7:19pm

Well, if it was posted on iHeart Radio Broadway's account, then it's real, and they simply jumped the gun.

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 12/4/23 at 7:19pm

This week would be a great week to announce it has the Shubert, as it is the 20th anniversary of The Diary of Alicia Keys.

[Dylan Smith4]

Posted: 12/4/23 at 7:28pm

EDSOSLO858 said: "This week would be a great week to announce it has the Shubert, as it is the 20th anniversary ofThe Diary of Alicia Keys."

The thing is though, can this sell out 1500 seats a night or would this be better off in one of the smaller Shubert  houses like the Golden or the Barrymore (if Harmony closes prematurely). I still think this would be better off waiting till next season as this one is VERY crowded for musicals. Merrily did the same thing. 

[TaffyDavenport]

Posted: 12/4/23 at 7:34pm

I've said it before, and I'll say it again, no other upcoming/rumored show has a better chance of selling out the Shubert, and it's not even close. 

[Dylan Smith4]

Posted: 12/4/23 at 7:49pm

The only other possible one would be the Scherzinger-led Sunset Blvd. if it does transfer in the Spring. 

[inception]

Posted: 12/4/23 at 7:55pm

Dylan Smith4 said: 
The thing is though, can this sell out 1500 seats a night or would this be better off in one of the smaller Shubert houses 

It is more likely that producers of other shows should worry about how this will eat into their ticket sales.  This is the show that sold out before it opened off- Bwy.i  It could be the snowball rolling over everything else.

 

Updated On: 12/4/23 at 07:55 PM