By Grace Clark
Special to the AFRO
Whether it’s in New York City’s “jungle where dreams are made of,” across the United States or the world, Broadway’s “Hell’s Kitchen,” the coming-of-age story inspired by the life journey, music and community of six-time Grammy Award-winning artist Alicia Keys, is making audience members want to pursue that dream no matter where they come from.
“Hell’s Kitchen” focuses on the story of 17-year-old Ali’s journey of self-discovery and navigation of relationships, including with her protective single mother, absentee father, a first besieged love and an unexpected mentor who changes her life. The Broadway show – marked by compelling storytelling, penetrating vocal performances of some of Keys’ original songs that are reimagined and fierce and foot-stomping choreography – has been playing at the Shubert Theatre since April 2024. Keys has sold over 65 million records worldwide.
Discovering Ali
Jade Milan, a professional actress since age 9, said playing the lead role of Ali has stretched her as an actress.
“It required me to acquire new skills as a storyteller for the multi-layered character that is Ali,” said Milan, was classically trained in vocal performance at Baltimore School for the Arts High School and is a veteran of Disney’s “The Lion King” on Broadway. “The more that you are inquiring about what those layers could be, the more answers you will find. I continued to ask questions about Ali.Through every show, I’ve gotten a different answer.”
Other stellar supporting lead actors in “Hell’s Kitchen” have included the incomparable Kecia Lewis, who has won Tony, Drama Desk and other top industry awards for her acclaimed performance as Miss Liza Jane. While it is Lewis’ character that most influences Ali to find her voice, Milan said the actress also helped her better connect to the role.
“She challenged me to find an emotion, if not a memory, and tie that to something that Ali is feeling, and let that be the foundation you build from,” said Milan, who began as an understudy for the role in 2023. “The thing that I do on stage is rooted in something real. It’s not made up.”
That stage is an innovative and eclectic backdrop designed in the style of an elevator inside an apartment building in an inner-city housing project that symbolically carries Ali through the levels of her plight – from her own rebellion in the shadow of her mother’s unrelenting eyes, to her desire for independence to explore her first unthinkable love with an older teenaged boy battling racial stereotypes, to her turmoil with the undeniable connection she has with her absentee father even if she can only share it on his terms, and the discovery of her voice.
In each storyline, the musical’s stellar cast performs with relatable vulnerability while blending their voices with perfectly synced harmonies and rich vibratos.The vocal rearrangements and performances are accompanied with contemporary-styled choreography fused with hip hop, igniting rhythmic crescendos from the show’s very beginning to its climatic end.
Milan, who does not consider herself to be a natural dancer, credited the collaboration of the dancers helping her to “learn to be confident with every move she made.”
“We vibed with each other. Nobody is behind on that stage,” said Milan. “We just were grooving with one another and feeling the beat together and it makes you want to move. You get engulfed in the story of it all. Those dancers make you feel like you can dance.”
One of the principal characters is that of Ali’s father, Davis, performed by a rotation of award-winning and acclaimed artists and actors. Grammy Award-winning recording artist and actor Ne-Yo made his Broadway debut as Davis on Dec. 4.
“I’ve performed on a lot of stages in my life, but making my Broadway debut in ‘Hell’s Kitchen’ is something special,” said Ne-Yo. “Alicia created a world that’s real, raw, and full of soul, and stepping into the role of Davis lets me explore a whole new side of storytelling.”
The role comes nearly a decade after Ne-Yo’s noted performance as the Tin Man in NBC’s “The Wiz Live!”
Prior to Ne-Yo’s casting, rhythm and blues singer and actor Durrell Babbs, professionally known as “Tank,” took his turn at portraying Davis. He brought his smooth, sensual singing style and signature riffs to Keys’ songs, including “If I Ain’t Got You.” Babbs, who performed in two short runs, immediately bonded with the cast.
“It instantly just felt like he was my homeboy. He vibed instantly,” said Milan. “He fit right in. What I will always appreciate about his approach coming into this show and this family was that he didn’t come in as ‘Tank,’ and he was very adamant about that. He really engulfed himself in this environment.”
Ali’s levels of discovery resonated early with stage actor and singer Christopher Jackson, who earlier this year, seamlessly glided into the role of Davis following Babbs’ first run.
Jackson, a 30-year stage veteran, was Tony Award-nominated for his original role as President George Washington in the Broadway play “Hamilton,” and has other notable credits. “Hell’s Kitchen” is Jackson’s 10th Broadway show.
When Jackson first saw the production on its opening night on Broadway with his 16-year-old daughter, Jadelyn, he was immediately intrigued by Davis’ character.
“As a father watching my daughter engage with the story, [I saw that] it clearly grabbed her and it grabbed me in a lot of respects,” said Jackson. “I had a very similar experience growing up with my father and watching my mother navigate the difficulty in managing the child’s expectations up against the realities of adults with their own challenges.”
Jessica Vlosk, best known for her role as Elphaba in the musical “Wicked,” on tour and Broadway, plays Ali’s mother, Jersey. She and Jackson portray an impassioned parental tug of war over Ali with well-timed comedic flirtations and rivalry over his absenteeism.
“His version of singing the song with Ali is quality time…. He is not able to be there for her as a full-time dad,” said Jackson. “The promise of wanting to do more is about all that he can offer.”
Their powerful onstage chemistry is carried by Jackson’s seasoned acting skills and smooth serenade of Jersey, and Vlosk’s rich, sultry, penetrating vocal range.
Reimagined songs
Keys’ newly arranged songs featured in “Hell’s Kitchen” are characters themselves in the show—reimagined arrangements to the same popular lyrics like the song, “Unthinkable (I’m Ready)” performed as a slow, raw duet by Milan and Philip Johnson Richardson, who portrays Ali’s love interest, Knuck. The ballad is an unforgettable period at the end of their convincing romantic interlude. Another musical treat is the song “Fallen,” sung by the character Davis, which offered a jazzier flavor than its original smooth melodic version.
Nothing left on stage
If the “Hell’s Kitchen” cast and producers wanted to pierce the consciousness of audiences, they are succeeding. By the end of the show, there is a powerful message about Ali’s growth and evolution, and ultimately embracing everyone in her community who had a part in it.
“I think my favorite part of ‘Hell’s Kitchen’ … is before Ali sings ‘Empire State of Mind’ because I think that’s when we really see who Ali is,” said Milan. “She says [to herself], ‘I recognize the gems that I have around me, the gems that I have within myself, and this new safe haven I have, which is the piano,’ and allows that to take her to heights unseen and aid in that maturity process,” she said. “I think [the message] for those who are watching ‘Hell’s Kitchen’ and [have] seen it in the past is to have the bravery to step into your own light.”
Following its Broadway run, the show will continue performances on a North American tour.
“I am so proud of Alicia Keys, the cast and producer Aaron Lustbader. What they have created with our Broadway show and the spinoff national tour is just phenomenal,” said entertainment attorney James L. Walker Jr., who is also an investor with Front Row Productions, a producer on the show. To see the national tour schedule for “Hell’s Kitchen,” see https://hellskitchen.com/tour/.
Grace Clark is a freelance journalist in Connecticut who writes about arts, entertainment and culture, and social topics.