Hell's Kitchen- Alicia Keys
By: Pamela Abreu
Pop artist of the millennium, Alicia Keys, went beyond her singing abilities and further explored her potential as she helped create the musical Hells Kitchen. The process of creating the show took over a decade. Growing up in New York, Alicia Keys learned how to navigate the world at a young age. In her musical Hell's Kitchen, the main character Ali lives in Hell's Kitchen, in a building with other artists. She lives with her mother and explores womanhood as she traverses through life.
On November 15, 100 East Side 11th and 12th-grade students had the opportunity to see the sold-out show for free. Many students, including myself, were extremely eager to see the show, considering that the soundtrack consisted of Alicia Keys songs. Before the show, some students were interviewed and asked about their expectations for this musical. Lily Rucker was excited. She explained, “I want to hear all the singing and dancing and see her story. I feel like it's going to be good, and I hope I’m not disappointed.”
Other students went into the experience with lower expectations. Ava Molina said, “I don't have any expectations, and I hope to see a good musical and to be entertained.” Alex Marty had a similar view, though he was most interested to see how “Keys was able to effectively take her songs and make a story out of them.”
In the musical, Ali was able to experience certain privileges because she had a white mother, even though she was half African American. This musical explores the power dynamics between characters, racism, and womanhood. Ali and her mother endured many tribulations. When Ali showed interest in Knuck, a significantly older African-American man, her mother Jersey immediately wanted to end things with them. Whether it was the age difference or race, issues came up, and Jersey, the white older woman, was able to get her way. Also, Knuck and his other black friends were constantly targeted by both police and older people in power, such as the deskman in the lobby and Jersey.
Throughout the show, there was a radiation of excitement as other high school students from around the city sang along to Alicia's big hits. As “Girl on Fire” and “Empire State of Mind” echoed throughout the theater, so did the voices of hundreds of students. The actors did an amazing job at singing, and I got goosebumps hearing their voices perfectly match the songs they were singing. The “ouus” and “aahs” emitted from our mouths as Ali and Knuck's relationship blossomed, which added to the enjoyment of the show and allowed us to feel more a part of it.
After the show, East Side students were stunned. Following up on some of the interviews, Lily Rucker exclaimed, : “I really enjoyed it. I thought that the music was really good, the performance, the actors were amazing. The plot was really good, and I was interested the whole time; I never lost interest." -
A 12th grader named Q had some criticisms, “I didn't really like the main character and thought she was unlikable. The dancing was incredible, and the plot was ok. The singing was phenomenal and the main character, the actress, was a little too much for me.”
Although the show sold out, it will be on Broadway this spring, so more people will have the opportunity to hear the mindblowing voices of these performers and make their own decisions on the enjoyability of this musical.