It\u2019s\u00a0fun to go to the theater and hear R&B in a musical. The knockout singers in the North American tour of \u201cHell\u2019s Kitchen\u201d now onstage in San Francisco thrillingly bring Alicia Keys\u2019 solid songbook to life.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
It\u2019s\u00a0no surprise that the\u00a0show, which premiered at New York\u2019s Public Theater in 2023 and went to Broadway in 2024,\u00a0is a multi-Tony Award nominee and winner of a Grammy Award for best musical theater album.\u00a0<\/p>\n
San Jose native Maya Drake is terrific as the lead character Ali, a 17-year-old living in the titular gritty New York neighborhood\u00a0in the 1990s,\u00a0where she struggles with her overprotective white mother, hangs out in the street with\u00a0pals, and crushes on an older guy, to mom\u2019s dismay. Her sporadic contact with her Black father, a musician, contrasts with the deep friendship she strikes up with a wise, older pianist who teaches her to play (and much more) on an instrument in the high-rise where\u00a0she\u00a0lives.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The book by Kristoffer Diaz,\u00a0which is inspired by, rather than\u00a0a play-by-play,\u00a0of Keys\u2019 real life, mostly works.\u00a0At the outset, the characters seem cliched, but by\u00a0the end of the show,\u00a0their challenges\u00a0ring true.\u00a0The believable\u00a0story\u2019s themes\u00a0\u2014\u00a0a\u00a0troubled\u00a0mother-daughter relationship,\u00a0a\u00a0missing\u00a0dad,\u00a0discrimination against\u00a0young\u00a0Black men,\u00a0the power of a mentor, the spirituality in\u00a0music\u00a0\u2014\u00a0reflect daily living.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Still,\u00a0its\u2019s\u00a0the\u00a0killer renditions of Keys\u2019 songs, with music supervision by Adam Blackstone,\u00a0that\u00a0make \u201cHell\u2019s Kitchen\u201d a delight. The huge radio hits\u00a0are cleverly, evocatively reimagined. The chorus encapsulates\u00a0a high point in\u00a0Ali\u2019s\u00a0life in\u00a0\u201cGirl on Fire\u201d;\u00a0Ali\u2019s mom and dad flirt in \u201cFallin\u2019\u201d; Ali and her\u00a0dad share a tender moment in \u201cIf I\u00a0Ain\u2019t\u00a0Got You\u201d and Ali and her mom\u00a0reconnect in \u201cNo One.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
All the vocalists shine throughout, and each gets a moment or more in the spotlight. Roz White\u00a0as Ali\u2019s teacher\u00a0Miss Liza Jane\u00a0dazzles in \u201cPerfect Way to Die\u201d;\u00a0JonAvery\u00a0Worrell, as Ali\u2019s crush\u00a0Knuck, harmonizes beautifully in \u201cUn-thinkable (I\u2019m Ready)\u201d;\u00a0and\u00a0Desmond Sean Ellington as Ali\u2019s father Davis introduces himself strongly in \u201cNot Even the King.\u201d And powerhouse Kennedy Caughell as Ali\u2019s mother Jersey stops\u00a0the show\u00a0belting\u00a0the bluesy \u201cPawn It All.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Everyone looks great, too. Dede Ayite\u2019s\u00a0costumes\u00a0(baggy pants for the kids!)\u00a0capture the\u00a0era;\u00a0Camille A. Brown\u2019s choreography\u00a0has the chorus vigorously busting moves; Michael Greif\u2019s direction evokes\u00a0authentic performances from all.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Alicia Keys\u2019 fans\u00a0shouldn\u2019t\u00a0miss \u201cHell\u2019s Kitchen.\u201d Musical theater fans\u00a0who love a story that\u00a0goes\u00a0down\u00a0easy\u00a0and\u00a0songs they know performed in new, exciting ways,\u00a0shouldn\u2019t\u00a0miss it, either.\u00a0<\/p>\n