‘HELL’S KITCHEN’: Kecia Lewis & Maleah Joi Moon. Photo: Marc J. Franklin.

HELL’S KITCHEN
Music & lyrics by Alicia Keys
Book by Kristoffer Diaz
Directed by Michael Greif
Sam S. Shubert Theatre
225 West 44^th Street
https://www.hellskitchen.com/

By Scott Harrah

Loosely based on R&B superstar Alicia Keys’ real life, Hell’s Kitchen has arrived on Broadway after playing at the Public Theater downtown. The off-Broadway production received mixed reviews, but director Michael Greif has made many changes and the Broadway production is simply exhilarating and sublime, featuring some of the best songs and vocal talent on the New York stage in years. It received 13 Tony nominations, including one for Best Musical, and rightfully so.

The story focuses on Ms. Keys’ life in the 1990s, growing up in Manhattan Plaza, an affordable-housing complex that provides residences for many in the arts. Ali (beautifully portrayed by Maleah Joi Moon) is 17 when the show starts, raised by her single mom Jersey (Shoshana Bean). Her mother Jersey is protective of her daughter and doesn’t want her hanging out with the “wrong” crowd. Ali gets caught talking to Knuck (Chris Lee), a bucket drummer and part of a group that hangs out in the building. Her mother is not pleased.

Drummers in the complex practice in Manhattan Plaza’s courtyard, and Ali’s friends Tiny (Vanessa Ferguson) and Jessica (Jackie Leon) insist that she pursue Knuck. He turns her down, and shortly afterward her mother Jersey calls the police and has the group thrown out of the building. After leaving her apartment in anger, Ali visits the building’s music-practice area, the Ellington Room, and sees Miss Liza Jane (the outstanding Kecia Lewis) playing the piano. Miss Liza Jane is an older woman, wise and a piano virtuoso. She offers to teach Ali to play piano.

The plot focuses on several themes, from a single mother raising a biracial teenager daughter and struggles with the father who abandoned them long ago to racism, coming of age and grappling with grief when someone passes away. The musical showcases all of Alicia Keys’ iconic hits, from “Like You’ll Never See Me Again” and  “You Don’t Know My Name” and “Girl On Fire,” “Fallin’” to “If I Ain’t Got You,” “No One,” and “Empire State of Mind,” and many more.

The flawless performances and outstanding vocal talent are two of the best aspects of Hell’s Kitchen. Standouts include Ms. Moon as Ali. She has the spunk, sass and vulnerability required for the role. Shoshana Bean as Jersey gives a sincere and touching performance as the doting mother, and Ms. Bean’s powerful vocals are sheer heaven for listeners, particularly in the song “Pawn It All.”

The excellent Kecia Lewis is incandescent and brings down the house whenever she sings, especially at the end of the first act when she beautifully belts out “Perfect Way to Die,” a song about unjust killings of innocent people, police brutality and systemic racism. Brandon Victor Dixon’s vocals are wonderfully melodic on the song “Fallin’,” a jazzy duet with Ms. Bean that is another showstopping number.

Camille A. Brown’s choreography is inventive and wonderfully visual, especially during a new Alicia Keys song “Kaleidoscope” in which dancers twirl around Ali with beautiful kinetic energy.

Hell’s Kitchen is a quintessential New York story about how life is rough here on these mean and dirty city streets, but love from family and friends and neighbors gets us through tough times. It’s a tribute to all who have ever struggled in Manhattan, and one of the spring 2024 season’s best musicals.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published June 1, 2024
Reviewed at May 23, 2024 performance

‘HELL’S KITCHEN’: Shoshana Bean & Maleah Joi Moon. Photo: Marc J. Franklin.

‘HELL’S KITCHEN’ Maleah Joi Moon, Chris Lee & cast. Photo: Marc J. Franklin.

‘HELL’S KITCHEN’: The cast. Photo: Marc J. Franklin.

‘HELL’S KITCHEN’: The cast. Photo: Marc J. Franklin.

‘HELL’S KITCHEN’: Brandon Victor Dixon & cast. Photo: Marc J. Franklin.

The post ‘Hell’s Kitchen’: Alicia Keys’ tribute to NY life appeared first on StageZine.

‘THE NOTEBOOK’: Jordan Tyson. Photo: Julieta Cervantes.

THE NOTEBOOK
Based on the novel by Nicholas Sparks
Book by Bekah Brunstetter
Music and lyrics by Ingrid Michaelson
Directed by Michael Greif & Schele Williams
Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre
236 West 45th Street
(212-239-6200), www.notebookmusical.com

By David NouNou

Eternal love is about the highest ideal a couple can achieve in life: To be there for each other from the onset of their first meeting to their final days. Nicholas Sparks wrote the novel The Notebook on which this musical is based in 1996 when he was 28, and it has endured with readers and moviegoers for nearly 30 years now. However, the Broadway adaptation of the hit book and film is problematic indeed.

The story consists of the three periods in the life of Allie and Noah. They meet in a coastal town in the Mid-Atlantic in the late 1960s where teenagers Younger Noah (John Cardoza) meets Younger Allie (Jordan Tyson) at a picnic with friends and knows she is the girl he’ll marry. Allie is there for the summer with her rich family, Noah works in his father’s lumberyard. Her family looks down on him. He was forced to enlist in the army because her parents were claiming he abducted her and he risked being thrown in jail.

Ten years pass. Middle Noah (Ryan Vasquez) and Middle Allie (Joy Woods) reunite in the late 1970s. Unbeknownst to Allie, Noah wrote her letters for 10 years but she claims she never received them. Of course, her mother hid them from her, and now Allie is engaged to be married to a rich defense lawyer. She reads in the paper that Noah is alive and has bought the home he was building for them and refurbished it as planned. She takes a leave of absence for a few days from her engagement to clear her mind and rekindle what may have been lost. Lots of recriminations here. Until Allie gets the letters handed over by her mother.

Part three is Older Noah (Dorian Harewood) and Older Allie (Maryann Plunkett). Allie is in an old-age facility, suffering from dementia. She doesn’t realize that Noah is her husband. She has good days thinking of him as a friend and days she has no idea who he is. Noah is persistent. He reads the notebook journal that Allie has written to constantly remind her of their lives together so that one day she will remember and come back to him.

The love story is bearable and one wants to believe in this magical love; it’s the execution that is mind-numbingly awkward. From the poorly written book by Bekah Brunstetter and the unremarkable and forgettable music and lyrics by Ingrid Michaelson, one only wishes there was a large scissor to cut out the text and the score so we could sit with Older Allie and Older Noah and just let them try to find themselves and have that glimpse of recognition.

Which brings me to Maryann Plunkett and Dorian Harewood—God bless them. Ms. Plunkett and Mr. Harewood are the saviors of the show. Without them, you have one of the most unremarkable cast ensembles assembled. With hardly any stage presence or even investment in character, cast members just meander on and off the stage in puddles, water and rain. What’s astonishing is that The Notebook needed two directors—Michael Greif and Schele Williams—to keep the cast moving on and off stage without bumping into each other.

Imagination is in short supply here. Look at the dreary Playbill cover; it will tell you nothing. One just has to be grateful for the professionalism and stage presence of Maryann Plunkett and Dorian Harewood and be satisfied with them.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published March 22, 2024
Reviewed at March 21, 2024 press performance.

‘THE NOTEBOOK’: Maryann Plunkett & Dorian Harewood. Photo: Julieta Cervantes.

‘THE NOTEBOOK’: Joy Woods. Photo: Julieta Cervantes.

‘THE NOTEBOOK’: Maryann Plunkett & cast. Photo: Julieta Cervantes.

‘THE NOTEBOOK’: The cast. Photo: Julieta Cervantes.

‘THE NOTEBOOK’: John Cardoza & Jordan Tyson (front) & Ryan Vasquez & Joy Woods; & Dorian Harewood & Maryann Plunkett. Photo: Julieta Cervantes.

‘THE NOTEBOOK’: Jordan Tyson & John Cardoza. Photo: Julieta Cervantes.

‘THE NOTEBOOK’: Ryan Vasquez & Joy Woods. Photo: Julieta Cervantes.

The post ‘The Notebook’: Dull adaptation of book & film appeared first on StageZine.

‘DAYS OF WINE AND ROSES’: Brian D’Arcy James & Kelli O’Hara. Photo: Joan Marcus

DAYS OF WINE AND ROSES
Book by Craig Lucas
Music & lyrics by Adam Guettel
Directed by Michael Greif
Through March 31, 2024
Studio 54
254 West 54th Street
(212-719-1300), https://daysofwineandrosesbroadway.com/

By David NouNou

Having seen newcomers Kelli O’Hara and Brian D’Arcy James perform together in 2002 in the musical adaptation of Sweet Smell of Success, it is hard to imagine that was 22 years ago, and they are now Broadway veterans. Between the two of them they have performed in such shows as Hamilton, The King and I, Into the Woods, and The Pajama Game, just to name a few. After all these years and all the shows they’ve been in, they are now at the top of their game in this musical adaptation of Days of Wine and Roses.

If one is familiar with the 1962 movie of the same name with Lee Remick and Jack Lemmon, now it is set as a musical. The setting is still New York City in the 1960s, Kirsten Arnesen (Kelli O’Hara) and Joe Clay (Brian D’Arcy James) are an ideal couple: they are young, beautiful, career-oriented, and in love. They get married and have a daughter. Seemingly they are the perfect couple. However, their idyllic world is shattered by an addiction called alcoholism. Starting out as social drinkers, they quickly descend into their hellish lives with Joe losing his job, and they both turn to Kristen’s father, Arnesen (Byron Jennings) for financial assistance, only to get themselves in another destructive bender that does irretrievable damage.

Joe tries multiple times to get himself help and climb out of his hell, if for no other reason but to be there for their daughter but Kristen refuses to let go of her demons. It’s a formidable tale of addiction at its most gripping.

Did the show need to be musicalized? Probably not. The book by Craig Lucas is flawless in following the original script of the movie and could have stood by itself. The score by Adam Guettel is so listless and forgettable that the show could have done without this banal score. However, if one wouldn’t have had the score, one would miss the glorious operatic voice of Kelli O’Hara.

Days of Wine and Roses, The Musical survives due to the magnificent performances of its two leads. Kelli O’Hara has never shown such a range of character, emotion and vulnerability in her performances as she is demonstrating here. The term incandescent is so appropriate and her vocalizing is glorious.

Brian D’Arcy James has given numerous wonderful performances. He is a quintessential musical leading man and here, as Ms. O’Hara hits all the emotional notes,  is also demonstrating his vulnerability.

Michael Greif, director of such hits as Dear Evan Hansen, Rent and Next to Normal has hit another high point in his career by extracting and pacing his two leads and having them give the performances of their careers.

Coming out you will miss the beautiful melodic and haunting 1962 Oscar winning song “The Days of Wine and Roses” by Henry Mancini and Johnny Mercer, but you will also come out remembering the performances of Kelli O’Hara and Brian D’Arcy James.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published February 21, 2024
Reviewed at February 20, 2024 performance.

‘DAYS OF WINE AND ROSES’: Brian D’Arcy James & Kelli O’Hara. Photo: Joan Marcus.

‘DAYS OF WINE AND ROSES’: Brian D’Arcy James & Kelli O’Hara. Photo: Joan Marcus.

‘DAYS OF WINE AND ROSES’: Kelli O’Hara & Brian D’Arcy James. Photo: Joan Marcus.

The post ‘Days of Wine and Roses’: Stars at top of game appeared first on StageZine.

‘WAR PAINT’: Christine Ebersole & Patti LuPone. Photo: Joan Marcus

WAR PAINT
Book by Doug Wright
Music by Scott Frankel
Lyrics by Michael Korie
Directed by Michael Greif
Choreography by Christopher Gattelli
Nederlander Theatre
208 West 41st Street
(877-250-2929), www.warpaintmusical.com

By David NouNou

Due to a scheduling mix-up, I had the good fortune to see War Paint as the last show of the season. After seeing so many movies turned into mediocre musicals, I can honestly say it was a thrill to enjoy this gem of an original musical. I am not saying it’s perfect, but for an audience that can remember the wonderful musicals of the 1950s and 1960s, this is as close as you can get to such wonderful heights.

With a witty book by Doug Wright, an excellent melodic score by Scott Frankel and Michael Korie (all three of Grey Gardens fame) and deft direction by Michael Greif, they have created a highly entertaining musical about world-renowned cosmeticians Helena Rubinstein (Patti LuPone) and Elizabeth Arden (Christine Ebersole).

Rubinstein was from a Polish shtetl and Arden came from a poor farm in Ontario, Canada. Both women came to America and reinvented themselves as the prima donnas of beauty. Madame Rubinstein, as she became known, catered to wealthy European immigrants, while Arden catered to New York society. They competed with each other for more than 50 years, never having met, but they revolutionized the beauty industry. In addition, they were the only females who owned their own businesses at the time. They had their ups and downs and unfortunately for them, they didn’t know when it was time to change with the times. When things were being re-branded for the young market, they clung to their “exclusive” roots.

I did mention earlier this is not a perfect musical and that’s because the two protagonists never met.  You have these two magnificent titans and there is no conflict between them; they just refer to each other as “the other one.”When you think of Grey Gardens, the two women were constantly together, thus creating the friction. Here you have two giants who live parallel lives and they don’t intersect, thus creating a vacuum.

However, when you have two legendary actresses the likes of Patti LuPone and Christine Ebersole, there is little to fret about the vacuum. These women know how to manipulate a line and an audience. Their presence and outstanding vocal gifts fill any gaps in the story line. Their performances are award worthy; they recently both received Tony nominations for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical, and deservedly so. I only wish that the score was nominated as well. Mr. Greif, the director, got the nomination for Dear Evan Hansen.

War Paint earned two additional nominations for the lovely costumes by Catherine Zuber and a sublime set by David Korins. Thanks to Mr. Korins, audiences finally get to see a realized set that moves like a Swiss watch and not some tacky cheap set that is moved by actors or stagehands. That was the norm back in Broadway’s golden years, with sets that moved effortlessly and transported you to another world. Thanks to War Paint and its creators and designers and especially to Ms. LuPone and Ms. Ebersole, we are transported again.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published May 4, 2017
Reviewed at performance on May 3, 2017

‘WAR PAINT’: Christine Ebersole, Patti LuPone & cast. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘WAR PAINT’: Pattil LuPone. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘WAR PAINT’: (left to right) Jennifer Rias, Steffanie Leigh, Christine Ebersole, Mary Claire King, Stephanie Jae Park. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘WAR PAINT’: Douglas Sills & Patti LuPone. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘WAR PAINT’: Christine Ebersole. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘WAR PAINT’: Douglas Sills & John Dossett. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘WAR PAINT’: Christine Ebersole & John Dossett. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘WAR PAINT’: Christine Ebersole & John Dossett. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘WAR PAINT’: Christine Ebersole. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘WAR PAINT’: Christine Ebersole. Photo: Joan Marcus

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‘DEAR EVAN HANSEN’: Ben Platt. Photo: Matthew Murphy

DEAR EVAN HANSEN
Book by Steven Levenson
Music & lyrics by Benj Pasek & Justin Paul
Directed by Michael Greif
Music Box Theatre
239 West 45th Street
(212-239-6200), www.dearevanhansen.com

By David NouNou

Dear Evan Hansen is an original musical that is epic in its universality and its theme is timeless. It is a phenomenon for every parent that has a troubled child, who may be misunderstood, lonely, despondent, troubled, bullied, or even suicidal; it is a musical of our time and for generations to come.

The story centers on an anxiety-ridden teenager, Evan Hansen (Ben Platt) who has to write himself letters of affirmation to build up his confidence and be able to socialize better with fellow students. On the first day of school, his letter is confiscated and read by the bullish outsider, Connor Murphy (Mike Faist). In the letter, Evan expresses his feelings about Zoe Murphy (Laura Dreyfuss) who happens to be Connor’s sister. At the end of the letter, he signs it “me.” Three days pass, and it is revealed that Connor committed suicide and the only thing on him was the letter he confiscated from Evan. Connor’s parents, Larry and Cynthia Murphy (Michael Park and Jennifer Laura Thompson), think it is a letter to a friend and they get in touch with Evan.

At first, Evan is at a total loss of what to say and do because there was never a friendship between him and Connor; but he sees how desperate the parents are and how much they want to know things about their son. With the aid of his cousin, Jared (Will Roland), Evan and Jared start fabricating backdated emails to give the parents some closure. Thus begins the tangled web that Evan has created for himself. At first he enjoys the fact that he is being noticed, that Larry and Cynthia become almost like surrogate parents, and Zoe starts to fall for him. In comes Alana Beck (Kristolyn Lloyd,) who was in a couple of classes with Connor, but never knew him, gets caught up in the hoopla, and wants to preserve Connor’s memory by starting the Connor Project and a website. Evan has to give a speech in school, and also does an online post about Connor. Naturally it becomes a media sensation and goes viral.

Meanwhile Evan’s mother, Heidi Hansen (Rachel Bay Jones), has no clue as what is going on and what her son is doing. Her husband left her and Evan 10 years earlier and she had to raise him alone. She is a nurse by day and taking paralegal courses at night, leaving her little time for Evan. She does her best to help but knows little what is happening with Evan, until she is invited to the Connors for dinner and then finds out through the Internet about The Connor Project and how Evan is co-president.

The web is so tangled and troubling to Evan that he is suffocating and losing himself in his predicament. He has to find his way out. I normally don’t like to give so much of the story, but must in order for the reader to understand the complexity of this piece. I also don’t want the reader to think that the piece is a depressing downer, morose or maudlin; on the contrary, it has a message of hope.

Michael Greif has taken this complicated tale and directed it with the lightest of touches. He knows it’s a heady topic and he treats all the action and movements with the utmost respect. The book by Steven Levenson is brilliant; he combines teenage angst and pains with today’s social media and all its trappings. The score by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul is a marvel. They did an incredible whimsical score for the Christmas classic A Christmas Story but here the score reaches exultant heights that are haunting and riveting.

The entire cast is outstanding but the star of the show, Ben Platt, is a revelation. He has the acting chops, the singing voice, the looks, the charm, and the personality to make the star of tomorrow. His Evan Hansen is a performance for the ages.

Guess what, folks? Get your tickets while you still can, because come Tony time I see at least six major awards going to this masterpiece.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published December 9, 2016
Reviewed at press performance on December 8, 2016

‘DEAR EVAN HANSEN’: Mike Faist & Ben Platt. Photo: Matthew Murphy

‘DEAR EVAN HANSEN’: Ben Platt & Rachel Bay Jones. Photo: Matthew Murphy

‘DEAR EVAN HANSEN’: Ben Platt & Laura Dreyfuss. Photo: Matthew Murphy

‘DEAR EVAN HANSEN’: Ben Platt, Jennifer Laura Thompson & Michael Park. Photo: Matthew Murphy

‘DEAR EVAN HANSEN’: The cast. Photo: Matthew Murphy

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