Jukebox musicals built around the music of Abba, the Four Seasons, Neil Diamond, Alanis Morissette, Carole King and other A-listers have found success on Broadway and across the country over the last couple of decades.<\/p>\n
Now, it\u2019s Alicia Keys\u2019 turn.<\/p>\n
\u201cHell\u2019s Kitchen,\u201d a jukebox musical inspired by the singer\u2019s life and career in New York City, is at the Benedum Center in Pittsburgh through Sunday.<\/p>\n
The story follows 17-year-old Ali, full of passion and eager to find her place in the world. As she navigates first love, clashes with her protective mother, and is shaped by the gritty Hell\u2019s Kitchen neighborhood, she discovers a musical mentor who helps her unlock her true voice.<\/p>\n
Audiences will recognize some of Keys\u2019 best-known songs, alongside some new numbers written exclusively for the show.<\/p>\n
Meeting an understudy<\/p>\n
Sher\u00e9e Marcelle Dunwell knows the production inside and out. At 40, she serves as an understudy for three roles: Jersey, inspired by Keys\u2019 mother; Crystal, one of Jersey\u2019s two best friends; and Millie, another friend of Jersey.<\/p>\n
Preparing to step into multiple roles might feel a bit overwhelming, but Dunwell takes it in stride. \u201cI\u2019d say my brain is really suited for this type of preparation because it can be difficult to keep them all straight,\u201d she said, before offering some insight into her technique. \u201cThe first thing I do is figure out how all the characters are similar, then I work on the differences.\u201d<\/p>\n
For Dunwell, the performance at the Benedum Center is like a homecoming of sorts. A Carnegie Mellon University graduate who studied opera, she hails from a school renowned for its world-class arts programs and a long list of Tony Award-winning alumni. \u201cIt was an amazing experience to be in the company of some of the best performers and teachers and it prepared me so much,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
It takes a village<\/p>\n
When Dunwell returned home to Boston after graduating, she began connecting with people from the Berklee College of Music, whose alumni include Quincy Jones, Diana Krall, John Mayer and other famous names. \u201cMy connections there allowed me to open up to experimenting with different styles of music,\u201d said Dunwell, who went on to pursue a career in R&B, soul, funk, blues and jazz.<\/p>\n
Appearing in a Broadway production is a dream come true for Dunwell.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo be part of this at the age of 40 is pretty incredible,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
As an understudy, she knows the importance of readiness. \u201cThe tours are very long and you never know what can happen-people might get sick at the same time, so we have to be prepared,\u201d she said, adding that there are a few swings and understudies on standby.<\/p>\n
Even so, she\u2019s already been asked to step in. \u201cI had my debut as Millie about a week ago and the cast and team have been amazing, kind, driven, hard-working and supportive,\u201d she said, making a correlation to how Keys\u2019 was supported on her musical journey.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was nervous, but ready to perform and the entire cast took a moment to circle around me and pray on me-it was such a special experience,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
The takeaways<\/p>\n
One of the numbers that moves Dunwell most is \u201cKaleidoscope.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s the song that gets me crying every time,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s a stunning moment in the show when Ali gets that hit of inspiration from a piano. We see a girl falling in love with music in an instant.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dunwell hopes the audience will walk away with a deeper understanding of a mother\u2019s love. \u201cWhat I want people to understand is the depth of love a mother feels for her daughter, even if it means giving her space. It\u2019s powerful,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Dunwell offers up a bit of advice for anyone who is thinking of starting a career in the performing arts: \u201cDon\u2019t limit yourself-keep your mind broad because sometimes you don\u2019t understand that you will love something until you try it and put yourself out there.\u201d<\/p>\n
For information, go online at TrustArts.org or by call 412-456-6666.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Jukebox musicals built around the music of Abba, the Four Seasons, Neil Diamond, Alanis Morissette, Carole King and…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":28216,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[18334,11296,73,75,74],"class_list":["post-28215","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-pittsburgh","tag-alicia-keys","tag-hell","tag-pittsburgh","tag-pittsburgh-headlines","tag-pittsburgh-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28215","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28215"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28215\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/28216"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28215"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28215"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28215"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}