Hell’s Kitchen has moved into the Civic Theatre downtown, and it’s brought a massive amount of fun, energy and classic Alicia Keys songs with it.
With music and lyrics by Keys and a book by Kristoffer Diaz, the show, directed by Michael Greif, follows seventeen-year-old Ali (Maya Drake) as she navigates life in New York City’s Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood.
It’s not easy being a teenager in the city, especially with her mom, Jersey (Kennedy Caughell), a single parent who works nights and watches over her like a hawk. They fight, they scream and say things they probably shouldn’t, but before long, things are usually back to normal. There’s a lot of love between them, even if Ali doesn’t always see it that way.
Ali desperately wants some freedom, and part of that means spending time with her friends and getting the attention of Knuck (JonAvery Worrell), an older street drummer who hangs around their apartment building. Jersey immediately sees trouble coming and does everything she can to keep the two apart, which, as anyone who has ever been seventeen knows, pretty much guarantees that Ali is going to want to see him even more.
But when Ali hears Miss Liza Jane (Roz White), an older woman who plays piano in a rehearsal room downstairs in their building, something begins to change. She’s drawn to her and her talent, and Miss Liza, sensing something in Ali, begins teaching her how to play.
Their relationship quickly becomes one of the best parts of the show. Miss Liza gives Ali an outlet for all of the anger, frustration and emotions she doesn’t quite know what to do with yet. Through the piano, Ali starts discovering something that belongs completely to her.
At the same time, her relationship with Knuck gets more serious, putting even more strain on things at home. Jersey isn’t just being an overprotective mom either. She’s been down this road before with Ali’s absentee father, Davis (Desmond Sean Ellington), a musician who has spent much of his daughter’s life drifting in and out of it. When he comes back into the picture, Ali finally gets the chance to connect with him, while Jersey is forced to deal with feelings and disappointments she thought she had put behind her.
All of that makes Hell’s Kitchen much more of a mother-daughter story than you might expect going in. Ali thinks Jersey is keeping her from living her life, while Jersey knows just how quickly life can knock you around. Somewhere between Knuck, Davis and Miss Liza, Ali starts to realize that growing up isn’t necessarily about getting away from your parents.
White is excellent. Every time she’s on stage, I couldn’t take my eyes off of her. She’s regal and commanding, and her voice, both talking and singing, fills the theater. She gives Miss Liza a warmth and authority where you immediately understand why Ali is drawn to her.
Caughell is terrific as well. And holy heck, can she belt. She’s your typical mom in a lot of ways. She worries, she lays down the law and occasionally drives her daughter crazy. But she’s just trying to protect Ali, especially when she finds out she’s been seeing the much older Knuck. Caughell does a great job making sure Jersey never becomes simply the overbearing mother.
Drake is the true star of the show, though. She’s got so much to do here and makes it look effortless from start to finish. She nails the comedy as well as the drama of everything Ali is going through and knocks it out of the park vocally. She also has the right amount of teenage attitude where you can completely understand why Jersey wants to pull her hair out half the time.
And then, of course, there’s the music.
The show packs in plenty of Alicia Keys songs, and one of the smartest things it does is find ways to work them into the story instead of stopping everything just so the audience can hear another hit.
I do wish the sets were more reflective of New York City and Hell’s Kitchen. The colors are mostly muted, with a couch here, a kitchen table there and metal railings along the sides to resemble apartment buildings. If you didn’t already know the show was set in New York City, I’m not sure you’d be able to place where you were.
That is, until the final moments of the show, when we’re finally treated to full-on New York City, complete with colors, buildings and the kind of visual energy I wish we had gotten a little more of throughout the night. It’s beautiful to see and makes the finale feel even bigger.
There are also some fun San Diego references to listen for. Audiences always get a chuckle and burst of applause whenever a touring show throws in something local, and Hell’s Kitchen gets a couple of good ones in there.
Even if I wanted a little more New York from the production visually, the cast more than makes up for it. Hell’s Kitchen is energetic, funny and moving, with some powerhouse voices and a terrific performance from Drake holding everything together.
Alicia Keys’ Hell’s Kitchen is currently playing at the San Diego Civic Theatre. For more info and tickets: Broadway San Diego
