HELL’S KITCHEN

Review by Celia Ipiotis

Hell’s Kitchen is on fire! In the time it took Hell’s Kitchen to move from the Public Theater to Broadway, it picked up speed the way a hurricane gains velocity when barreling over water. 

Written by Kristoffer Diaz and set to a sparkling score by the unendingly-talented Alicia Keys, the action crackles in the hands of director Michael Grief and choreographer Camille A. Brown.

A modern dancer who slipped almost seamlessly into musical theater and now opera, Brown’s talent is locating the movement growing inside each individual and releasing it. A mash of hip hop, West African and modern dance is spliced into a funky brew of glorious movement that never overwhelms and always underscores the emotional dynamics.

In the lead, Ali’s (Maleah Joi Moon) teenage angst and energy butts against her single mother’s (Shoshana Bean) parental concern and protectiveness. Living in the subsidized artists’ housing apartment in NYC,  Ali’s mother Jersey, fears her high spirited teenage daughter will leap to the wild side. Already, Ali is mesmerized by a group of older, male bucket drummers outside her building. Determined to catch Knuck’s (Chris Lee) eye, Ali stalks him, and finally, despite even his concerns, they hook up. 

The fast paced story-line primarily weaves between the dinner table, where Ali is expected to show up every night at 6pm, the noisy and colorful NYC streets and the Ellington piano room nestled inside the apartment complex. That’s where Ali meets her unexpected mentor,  Miss Liza Jane (Kecia Lewis) playing the piano. Elegant and self possessed, Miss Liza Jane tutors the emotionally volcanic Ali. Finding an oasis in amidst a life of competing demands, the piano feeds Ali. Her unquenchable thirst for the instrument does what her mother could never do, it settles Ali’s mind and nourishes her spirit.

Inevitably, Jersey lashes out at Knuck after finding him with Ali on her couch and has him arrested for drumming. In a desperate move, Jersey calls Davis (Brandon Victor Dixon), her former husband, for reinforcement. Their back story comes to light giving Jersey an opportunity to blow everyone away with huge vocal power surging out of a petite body. A cool jazz pianist and mellifluous vocalist, Davis  is constantly on the road and yet he’s thrilled to hear about Ali’s piano passion. 

Just when it seems like maybe he’ll stick around for Ail, he does not. In a heartbreaking scene, Jersey invites Davis for dinner at 6pm. They wait, and hope, and wait and give up. Now it’s clear, they can only count on each other.

Throughout the musical, voices soar in goose bump performances especially Ali, Jersey and the Nina Simone styled voice of the magisterial Miss Liza Jane. Each member of the exceptional cast appears to instinctively portray their own truth.

Stellar orchestrations by Tom Kitt and Adam Blackstone pump-up  the propulsive band in conversation with the bucket drummers. This musical synchronicity is led by a dazzling Lily Ling. Under the nuanced lights by Natasha Katz, Robert Brill’s metal grid airily evokes the steely outdoors while the plain kitchen table and couch outline home.

It’s difficult to pinpoint all the changes made on Hell’s Kitchen’s trek uptown, and yet, the production fits inside the Shubert Theater like a glove.  

Altogether, the production and creative elements conspire to draw the audience into the party of the year!

EYE ON THE ARTS, NY — Celia Ipiotis