The superb cast is headed by 18-year-old Maya Drake as Ali. According to the program notes this is her professional debut and she has limited academic training. She is not a product of a prestigious musical theatre program such as University of Michigan or NYU. From her stellar performance this is shocking. This is a talented young lady who can sing, dance, act and control the stage with seeming natural ability and ease. Standing ovation, here!
Diaz and Keys were also smart enough to know that the show couldn’t all rest on that one character, given her age, and, unlike many jukebox shows, they spread out the music over a broader range of performers. In the case of this tour, this clearly attracted middle-career singers to these roles. Kennedy, a recording artist in her own right, just kills it, like really kills it, on “Pawn it All,” and the silky-smooth sounds of Ellington, a “Hamilton” alum, sent the woman across the aisle from me into convulsions of pleasure during his several numbers. Which is kind of the point of the character.
| 2023 | Off-Broadway |
Public Theater Off-Broadway Premiere Production Off-Broadway |
| 2024 | Broadway |
Original Broadway Production Broadway |
| 2025 | US Tour |
US Tour |
Videos