Review: HELL'S KITCHEN at Broadway San Diego

Alicia Keys’ “Hell’s Kitchen” is, at its heart, a love letter to the New York City that shaped her. Inspired by Keys’ own adolescence in Manhattan in the 1990s, the musical follows a teenage girl named Ali as she discovers her voice, ambition, and the transformative power of music. It is a story inspired by some events in Keys’ life, but expanded into a larger celebration of family, community, artistic freedom and the complicated process of becoming your own person. “Hell’s Kitchen” is playing at Broadway San Diego through Sunday, August 16th.

“Hell’s Kitchen follows 17-year-old Ali (Maya Drake), a talented aspiring musician growing up in the artists’ community of Manhattan Plaza. She is navigating a complicated relationship with her mother, Jersey (Kennedy Caughell), the absence of her father, Davis (Desmond Sean Ellington), a crush on an older neighborhood musician Knuck (JonAvery Worrell), and the discovery of her own musical voice. Along the way, pianist Miss Liza Jane (Roz White) becomes an unexpected mentor and refuge to Ali.

Fortunately, the cast brings considerable heart and talent to the material. Drake is a terrific Ali, combining youthful exuberance, humor, and vulnerability with remarkable musical ability. Her natural charm makes Ali believable as a headstrong teenager struggling with the more complex situations and emotions that come with adolescence.

Caughell is a powerhouse as Jersey, particularly in her emotionally charged numbers. Her voice has extraordinary range and force. Ellington brings warmth and charisma to Davis,and the duet Caughell of “Fallin’” is fantastic.

 White is simply commanding as Miss Liza Jane. White’s performance of “A Perfect Way to Die,” accompanied by images of protests against police brutality and her second act number “Authors Of Forever” are both impactful and affecting moments.

And then there is the music. Hearing Keys’ songs, including “Girl on Fire,” “No One,” and “Empire State of Mind,” sounds wonderful with this full ensemble, and the live band, led by music director Emily Orr, is exceptional. At times, however, the sound balance made some lyrics difficult to catch. Thankfully, the choreography's physical storytelling is so expressive that the meaning of each number rarely gets lost.

From the pounding rhythms of Alicia Keys’ music to Camille A. Brown’s kinetic choreography, nearly every element of the production pulses with energy. The lighting and projections are equally full of personality, creating a vibrant portrait of New York that is as visually alive as the performers onstage. Brown’s choreography is electrifying, moving effortlessly between hip-hop, contemporary dance, and ballet. Peter Nigrini’s projections and Mia Neal’s hair and wig design add further visual richness and celebrate the production’s predominantly Black cast and characters.

The story touches on plenty: family, first love, artistic ambition, racism, police brutality, community and the complicated process of becoming your own person. The difficulty is that it sometimes feels like a skipping stone, bouncing from one idea to the next in order to reach the next big musical number. The themes are compelling, but Kristoffer Diaz's book doesn’t linger long enough to explore them as deeply as it could.

“Hell’s Kitchen” is not a particularly surprising story, and its book occasionally struggles to contain everything it wants to say. But when the music swells, the dancers explode across the stage, and this ensemble comes together, the production finds its true voice. It is an exuberant, moving celebration of art, ambition, family, and the people who help you find your voice.

  How To Get Tickets

“Hell’s Kitchen” is playing at Broadway San Diego through Sunday, August 16th.  For ticket and showtime information, go to Broadwaysd.com 

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