“Hell’s Kitchen,” a loosely fictionalized story inspired by Keys’ own childhood, depicts a brief chapter in the life of a 17-year-old who grows up surrounded by artists in a New York City housing complex where most housing units for artists are subsidized . The protagonist, a girl raised by her single mother, discovers her love of the piano and an attraction to an adult man while resenting her mother’s efforts to protect her in a gritty neighborhood.
The musical features new arrangements of Keys’ biggest hits, including “Fallin’,” “Girl on Fire,” “No One” and “Empire State of Mind,” as well as several new songs the pop star wrote for this show. Keys, who does not appear in “Hell’s Kitchen,” has worked for more than a decade with playwright Kristoffer Diaz, who wrote the book.
In an unusual move that shows Keys’ longstanding determination to maintain control of her own intellectual property and career trajectory, the musical’s lead producer will be AKW Productions, a company Keys owns and which she describes as “focused on creating diverse “More real, more authentic and genuine” describes stories in film, television, theater and music.” Asked whether the stage production, like most commercial Broadway musicals, would also have investors, Keys said: “Yes, some will there will be special people there.”
The musical is directed by Michael Greif and choreographed by Camille A. Brown. The Downtown cast is led by Maleah Joi Moon as the protagonist, joined by Shoshana Bean as a mother, Brandon Victor Dixon as an absent father and Kecia Lewis as a piano teacher. The Broadway cast has not yet been announced.
Reviews were mixed, with many critics praising the performances and production but saying they wanted more from the story. Writing in the New York Times, critic Jesse Green called the first act “thrilling” but said it was “disappointing after the intermission in the middle of the show.” In the Washington Post, critic Peter Marks was disappointed, calling it “an absolutely beautiful musical,” but in the Los Angeles Times, critic Charles McNulty was far more enthusiastic, writing, “I was surprised at how delighted I was with the musical.” Magic of the musical.”