As summer wound down, I was feeling a little bored, a little stuck in a rut. This year has been a year of theater for me, so I decided to take a quick trip to New York to see Alicia Keys’ new Broadway musical. Hell’s Kitchen, premiered on Broadway in April and is loosely inspired by Keys’ experience growing up in Manhattan’s Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood. The show features more than 20 of her best known songs, reworked (and yet always recognizable) for the Broadway stage. Keys also wrote a few new compositions and while she doesn’t star in the show, it is a project she’s deeply connected to, having written the music and lyrics and contributed to the show’s “book” or script. “I’ve been working on it since even before my first son was born. Egypt just turned 13,” Keys noted in an interview with CBS Sunday Morning earlier this year. Keys’ own high school teacher, Linda Aziza Miller, is one of the pianists who plays onstage in the show.
The Scoop on the State of Broadway
I chose a seat in the balcony, the section furthest from the stage and selected a Saturday performance starring understudy, Jade Milan in the lead role of Ali. Maleah Joi Moon won a Tony award for the role in June. It may have sounded like a let down, selecting a performance without the Tony award winner scheduled to perform but, let me say something about understudies. Do not be deterred from going to see a show because an understudy will be performing. Understudy performances often offer the opportunity to see amazing lesser known talent, and grab last minute tickets. While some might be deterred when they visit the show’s website and see their favorite performer won’t be on stage that weekend, you shouldn’t be. The understudy you see today could be the star of tomorrow and they work unbelievably hard. Most understudies learn the lines, songs and choreography for two or even three roles, prepared to take over if an actor takes time off or calls in sick.
I don’t make it out to New York City as often as I should, but as a former theater kid who was part of a mostly white theater department in college, it’s been so heartening to see the number of Black actors taking Broadway (and the national tours) by storm for the past few years. Musicals like Six, The Wiz, A Strange Loop, Paradise Square and even The Notebook have featured incredible Black performers in starring roles. Now, Hell’s Kitchen joins that list.
My Experience at Hell’s Kitchen
Hell’s Kitchen takes place in 90s New York and follows Ali, a 17 year old with an ear for music, a crush on the boy who plays music outside of her apartment building and a love of the city she calls home. Like any 17 year old, she has a complicated relationship with her mother, equal parts loving and rebellious. Like Keys, Ali is biracial, and we get a sense that her mother (played by Shoshana Bean) doesn’t quite understand what it means to be Black in America, despite her obvious love for her daughter.
With bright sets, costumes and electric choreography influenced by hip-hop, voguing, tap and more, Hell’s Kitchen was an instant crowd pleaser. It was a breath of fresh air seeing choreography influenced by styles of dance fine tuned and created by the Black community, performed with curly hair flying unapologetically. Of course, it was also hard to resist singing along to my favorite Alicia Keys songs like “Fallin’” and “You Don’t Know My Name” but, out of respect for the actors, I managed. Ali’s mentor and piano teacher, Miss Liza Jane is another stand out, and it’s clear to see why Kecia Lewis won a Tony for her emotional performance.
How To Get the Broadway Experience, No Matter Where You Live
Now I’m sure you’re ready to run to the theater, so let me offer a few additional tips. Hit Broadway shows often go on tour after their initial run in New York. Popular Broadway shows often are often transferred to the West End as well, and vice versa. National US tours usually start a year or two after their premiere on Broadway so, if you want to see Hell’s Kitchen, or any other Broadway show but aren’t headed to New York any time soon, be on the lookout for an announcement that the show is hitting the road in the future. Don’t feel like you’re missing out because you’ll be seeing the touring cast instead of the Broadway one. Understudies and touring casts rarely disappoint. A great way to get affordable tickets is by entering the ticket lottery online, where ticket prices can be purchased for as little as $35 if you’re the lucky lottery winner. You can also “rush” or buy cheaper last minute tickets by standing in line at the box office on the day of the show or looking online a few hours before the show starts, but it’s a gamble. I recommend saving up if there’s a show you just have to see. Whether you’re headed to Broadway or waiting until the show comes to you, don’t miss out on the energy live theater brings.
