Theater Thursday - Hell's Kitchen

We were given complimentary tickets to Hell's Kitchen for review purposes. Any and all opinions expressed here are our own. 

What: Hell's Kitchen 

Where: Shubert Theatre

             225 W. 44th St.

             New York, NY

Who: Recommended for Ages 8 and Up

Me - Hell's Kitchen is a very enjoyable musical. The acting, singing, and dancing are all extremely good. Although I have always been pretty indifferent to Alicia Keys's music, I liked it in this show. In fact, some of it is really starting to grow on me.

The story was interesting and moved along quickly. It was mostly about a mother and daughter. They were played by Shoshanna Bean and Maleah Joi  Moon. They both give really great performances. I had previously enjoyed Shoshanna Bean's performance in Mr. Saturday Night, and she was equally good here. Maleah Joi Moon is a newcomer who looks like she has a bright future ahead of her. I look forward to seeing what she does next. In the meantime, I recommend seeing her and the rest of the talented cast in Hell's Kitchen.

Mom - The new musical, Hell's Kitchen is a coming-of-age story about a young girl growing up in New York City. Although it is not strictly singer-songwriter, Alicia Keys' life story, it is loosely based on her story and is populated with her music. Some of the music is familiar songs from her catalog including favorites like Girl on Fire, Empire State of Mind, and Fallin'. Some of it is newly written for the show. They blend seamlessly.

This is no vanity project. It is a solid musical with a moving story about a mother and daughter at its heart.  Shoshana Bean and Maleah Joi Moon are outstanding as the mother and daughter respectively. The always-reliable Bean just gets better and better and shows more and more nuance with every role. Moon is a real find and a true triple threat. Kecia Lewis also particularly shines in the role of the daughter's mentor. Her first act closing number is a real heartbreaker.

The show is full of extremely exuberant ultra-modern choreography. The costumes are edgy and modern as well. The sets really capture that sense of apartment-dwelling closeness.  All the elements come together nicely to make this a show worth seeing. 

And that's our view. For more about Hell's Kitchen or to purchase tickets, go to www.hellskitchen.com,

Tune in Saturday for Still More Theater Saturday.

Photo credit: 

All Hell's Kitchen production photos by Marc J. Franklin

Images used in this post have been sent to us from publicists, artists, and/or  PR firms and are used by permission. If there is a problem with the rights to any image, please contact us here, and we will look into the matter.