Theater Review. Hell’ Kitchen. No Bull With Raging Robert.
Hell's Kitchen as it is commonly known was a mostly Irish area in the 50's through the early 2000's. A tough area that was controlled by the "Westies" for many years in this lower class section of Manhattan. It is also the subject of a musical currently playing at the Shubert Theatre and is based on the life of Alicia Keys, or Ally as she is known as.
In yesterday's matinee Gianna Harris stepped in for Maleah Joi Moon as Keys and for the most part she did a fantastic job. Transferring from The Public, "Hell's Kitchen" is reminiscent of the musical "Rent" in that it has a lot of the same vibe that the onetime long running musical had. Both are Bohemian in nature, both draw the audience in with great orchestrations, dance, music and song; and the plot in both deal with race and political undertones.
"Hell's Kitchen" is much more than a musical, the creativity of the music, how it is set up and how the show is performed is different than the typical Broadway musical. The plot and music runs the gambit from edgy, raw, popish, silly and indulgent. Although we never really figure out why Keys is closer to her black roots than her mothers Sicilian ones, Keys at 17 years old wants to fit in on the streets of Manhattan regardless that her mother watches her like a Hawk, not letting her make the same mistakes that she made at 17.
Up until a chance meet in Manhattan Plaza where Ally and her mother live, it is where learns to play the piano from an old soul in Miss Liza Jane (Kecia Lewis). Miss Jane is a no nonsense woman who has little time to teach this new upstart how to play the foundation in the piano and not the fluff part of the instrument. Keys father too plays piano but he is never around; a deadbeat through and through, Keys has two factors in her life, her mother and Miss Jane.
Director Michael Greif has the cast tight in this sometimes wayward plot by Keys and Kristoffer Diaz. Thc choreography by Camille A. Brown is very Urban in nature and very cutting edge. The scenic design by Robert Brill is also of Urban nature but at times his design doesn't work with the show. It is the sound (Gareth Owen) and lighting (Natasha Katz) that is the back-beat for all the great songs that we hear for the two and a half hours. Strong drums, strong dance and heavy lighting are the most effective supporting roles for this musical. The costumes by Dede Ayite and projections (Peter Nigrini) both bolster the musical. The show ratchets up a few notches whenever Ms. Lewis sings, her voice is powerful as well as deep, she leaves all her emotions on the stage in every song she sings.
"Hell's Kitchen" has been well received both at The Public" and Broadway so far. The musical played better downtown as that is where it belongs. The Bohemian nature, the Urban feel is tailor made for a place like The Public. Cutting edge and raw at times, it's political undertones and the racial themes make it better in the East Village. As the book throws volleys up on the political aspect, it usually resonates better in an off Broadway environment; but even so, the audience loved the performances by some very talented actors who for the most part gave us an entertaining show.
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Alicia Keys, Huey Lewis, Rachel McAdams, Jessica Lange, Broadway, Tony Awards, www.nimbusmagazine.com, No Bull With Raging Robert, Mac Beth, Shakespeare.
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