The Tony Awards will be awarded this weekend. Hell’s Kitchen has a bountiful thirteen nominations including Best Musical. Based on what I saw (along with two others), that hefty praise seems wildly generous. I love Alicia Keys so I presume her aura has enabled this show to be viewed through rose colored glasses. Our take was this show was somewhat mediocre on the whole.
Kristopher Diaz wrote the book for this loosely biographical tale of the making of a major pop superstar. She grew up in the then rough Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood, fights with her mom, enters into some questionable relationships, has no father in her life and discovers her genius through a spiritual piano teacher guide.
There is a paint-by-numbers approach to this story which left me feeling that all the characters were fairly one dimensional. The story moves through these influential relationships but did not gel for me until we meet Miss Liza Jane. Kecia Lewis delivers the bravura performance which sparks Act One to life.
The second act was muddier to me. The long absentee father showing up at a funeral and becoming the center of the eulogy was a plot stretch I could not swallow. Squeezing Ms. Keys’ amazing hits into the storyline was sometimes too forced. Mom’s “Pawn It All” tirade makes absolutely no sense.
The direction (Michael Grief) and choreography (Camille A. Brown) were equally muddy. Ali (Maleah Joi Moon), the Alicia role, can be seen wandering through dances which looked odd. The ensemble meant to represent the hood stand around watching on tenement set pieces which seem to be trotted out at least every other year. Why are they watching? I’m still trying to figure that out from Lempicka so don’t ask me.
Performances in the show can be enjoyable and I totally bought the mother (Shoshana Bean) and daughter energy. There is just not enough depth here to make this musical stand out as more than a reason to use this music as a surface treatment of what is obviously a vastly deep and rich life experience.
The current Broadway season is a perfect time to make up your own mind about what you like. The critics and Tony nominators were head over heels in love with this one. The three of us saw a below average offering. No critic can destroy a song as powerful as “Girl on Fire” so there’s that indestructible defense!
Hell’s Kitchen dutifully follows the jukebox formula and ends with a rousing smash hit (cue last year’s New York, New York). “Empire State of Mind” is a great song indeed. Anthem level famous. That, to me, is not enough to be wowed after the jumble which preceded it. Rumors abound that this one will win Best Musical as it is being touted as the most commercial property for a national tour. Ah, the business of show!!!
Hell’s Kitchen is performing at the Shubert Theatre on Broadway.