The coming-of-age story centers on Ali, a 17-year-old repeatedly at odds with her mom who falls in love with a street musician and ultimately finds purpose in the piano. Recent high school graduate Maya Drake has the huge task of anchoring a national tour in her professional stage debut. Her narrative skills are not as impressive as her energetic dancing and ready-for-radio vocals but she still gives credibility to Ali’s topsy-turvy journey as a rebellious, stubborn smart-mouth with a lot to learn about life.
Credit: Marc J. Franklin
Credit: Marc J. Franklin
The vocally dynamic cast includes Kennedy Caughell as Ali’s mom Jersey, Roz White serving attitude as Ali’s strict mentor Miss Liza Jane, elegantly cool Desmond Sean Ellington as Ali’s absent father Davis, and terrifically understated JonAvery Worrell as Ali’s love interest Knuck. Caughell, a knockout vocalist who riffs with ease, notably delivers a phenomenal, standing ovation-worthy rendition of “Pawn It All.”
“Hell’s Kitchen” is so grounded in its New York identity that it loses some of its atmospheric allure on tour, specifically the joyous “Empire State of Mind” finale. Nevertheless, it embraces Black culture, Black history and social justice with an engaging relevance that is not only entertaining but enlightening.
For tickets or more information, visit cincinnati.broadway.com/shows/hells-kitchen/.
Little Art Theatre in Yellow Springs launches new Artist-in-Residence program with filmmakers Steven Bognar and Anna Chiaretta Lavatelli
The Little Art Theatre in Yellow Springs has launched its new Artist-in-Residence Initiative with Academy Award–winning documentary filmmaker Steven Bognar and artist-filmmaker Anna Chiaretta Lavatelli.
“This innovative program represents a major step in the theatre’s renewed commitment to community-centered arts, filmmaker engagement, and hands-on education,” said organizers in a press release.
Screenings take place at 7:30 p.m. Thursdays. They feature a post-film conversation with audience participation. Bognar and Lavatelli have curated a selection of documentary films that “share ways of acting from the margins to creatively resist systems of conformity and oppression while seeking wholeness and human dignity in all of its manifestations.”
Credit: Charles Sykes
Credit: Charles Sykes
The program began Jan. 8 with the 1975 classic “Grey Gardens” and will continue Jan. 22 with 2015’s “The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution,” directed by Stanley Nelson, and the Yellow Springs premiere of 2019’s “9 to 5: The Story of a Movement,” co-directed by Bognar and the late Julia Reichert.
The Little Art Theatre is located at 247 Xenia Avenue in Yellow Springs. For more information about the screenings or to purchase tickets, visit littleart.com.
Uptown Improv brings ‘TBD: The Improvised Musical!’ to Centerville’s Town Hall Theatre
The Centerville Arts Commission and city of Centerville will present Uptown Improv in “TBD: The Improvised Musical!” at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 14 at Town Hall Theatre, 27 N Main St.
The production, completely unscripted and created in the moment, is a full-length musical based entirely on a title suggested by the audience.
The cast includes Centerville High School graduate Alex Lefeld, Epiphany Players alumnus Nathaniel Stevens and Centerville musician Moses Mabarak.
Tickets are $10 and available online at centervilleohio.gov/tickets. Seating is limited.
In addition, the Uptown Improv Workshop led by the cast of “TBD: The Improvised Musical” will take place from 3-5 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 14. The $40, two-hour workshop is open to ages 14 and up. You can register for the workshop online.
Designed for beginners, the workshop introduces participants to the basics of improvisation through fun, low-pressure games that emphasize listening, teamwork, creativity and responding in the moment. No prior theatre or improv experience is required.
The workshop is limited to 20 participants and requires a minimum of eight registered participants to be held. Registration and payment are required at the time of registration. Workshop registration includes one ticket to the evening performance, giving participants an opportunity to see the skills they learned used live on stage.
Workshop registration is available online. Registration for the workshop is required and must be completed by Friday, Feb. 6.
Human Race Theatre cancels winter production
Due to unforeseen circumstances, the Human Race Theatre Company will no longer present “Contradiction of The Southern Soul,” originally scheduled Feb. 24-March 1.
“Contradiction” was a special presentation and not a part of the subscription series.
“We were thrilled to share this heartfelt, music-filled memory play from Broadway and cabaret star Sally Mayes,” said Human Race Executive Director Kappy Kilburn in a press statement. “Though we won’t be bringing this one-woman show to the Loft Theatre stage, we look forward to presenting more stories that move, inspire, and entertain in the rest of our 40th anniversary season.”
Credit: CONTRIBUTED
Credit: CONTRIBUTED
If you purchased tickets, please contact the Dayton Live Box Office at 937-228-3630 to donate the cost of your ticket, exchange for another show this season or receive a refund.
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