Review: HELL'S KITCHEN at Orpheum Theatre
What did our critic think of HELL'S KITCHEN at Orpheum Theatre?
Hell’s Kitchen recently closed on Broadway where it was a critical and commercial success garnering 13 Tony nominations and winning two. This touring production allows the rest of the country to experience a brief taste of New York City’s pulsing rhythms set to the music and reflections of Alicia Keys teen years in the Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood. Featuring a star turn by Bay Area local Maya Drake as Ali, the show elevates the jukebox musical with an engaging story of teen angst, young love, community, and the discovery of one’s talent.
The show is chock full of excellent vocal performances of Key’s score. Drake is perfect in the role of the frustrated teen bucking her mother’s strict overprotection. Her mother Jersey, played by big belting Kennedy Caughell, is a hardworking single mom and has some big moments. Ali’s artistic mentor is Miss Liza Jane, and the Tony winning role is capably handled on tour by Roz White. Desmond Sean Ellington plays the distant father Davis, and JonAvery Worrell is Knuck, Ali’s new love. All have fine voices and carry the material to new heights.
The show is paced well, with creatively choreographed dance numbers interspersed with tender solo or duet numbers. Camille A. Brown’s dance movements are a balance of hip hop and interpretative and throb with energy. Five-time Tony Award nominee Michael Greif (Rent, Dear Evan Hansen, and The Notebook) provides the right staging for this story and Robert Brill’s scenic design of the concrete jungle is a wonder to behold. Add Peter Nigrini (Projection Design) and Natasha Katz (Lighting Design) to the mix and you have an impressive looking show design.
Ali finds herself through Miss Jane's direct mentorship and will continue the legacy of Black matriarchs like Hazel Scott and Florence Price. Her story includes the unreliability of her father, her relation to her community and finding one’s purpose. Key’s score includes some hits ("No One," "If I Ain't Got You," "Fallin'," and "Girl on Fire") as well as new material including the famous finale “Empire State of Mind.” Hell’s Kitchen vividly extrapolates an artist’s vision into a satisfying Broadway hit.
Hell’s Kitchen continues through May 24th. Tickets available at us.atgtickets.com/whatson/san-francisco/.
Photo credit: Marc J. Franklin
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