hell’s kitchen

US Open And ESPN Partner With Alicia Keys’ ‘Hell’s Kitchen’ To Create Unique Music For 2024 US Open

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Screenshot 2024 08 20 at 10.06.42 AM

The USTA and ESPN announced a multi-layered collaboration with Alicia Keys’ Broadway Musical Hell’s Kitchen, that will see the music of this show cascade across channels and platforms over the three weeks of the US Open.

Key among this collaboration will be the utilization of a custom remix of the song, “Kaleidoscope,” from Keys’ 13-time Tony-nominated musical, created for this year’s event. This remix will be featured in the US Open Manifesto Video, produced by longtime production partner Boomshot, and debut on Opening Night of the Main Draw, August 26. It will also be seen on broadcast, both on ESPN in the U.S. and in more than 200 countries across the globe, and in Arthur Ashe Stadium and the grounds of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center throughout the course of the two weeks of the Main Draw, through September 8. The Manifesto Video is narrated by the 2024 Tony Award winner for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for her role in Hell’s Kitchen, Kecia Lewis. In addition, two-time Tony nominee and GRAMMY-nominated actress Shoshana Bean, who also stars in Hell’s Kitchen, will perform the National Anthem on Opening night.

In addition to the manifesto video, ESPN will leverage the custom Kaleidoscope remix and footage from the USTA shoot featuring bucket drummers shot throughout New York City and on court in Arthur Ashe Stadium for their promotional campaign to drive tune-in of the 2024 US Open. ESPN Marketing is also using featured VO from Hell’s Kitchen actress Tony Award winner Kecia Lewis in the campaign.  

Partnering with Hell’s Kitchen falls directly in line with both the 2024 US Open’s marketing campaign, “Spectacular Awaits” and theme, “Celebrating the Power of Tennis.” The USTA has made a concerted effort to reach new and different audiences with the goal of growing interest and increasing accessibility to the sport, which provides unparalleled health and wellness benefits.

The ESPN Marketing promotional campaign will launch on August 20 and will run across all linear, digital, social platforms through the 2024 US Open. The Kaleidoscope track will be integrated into ESPN Production through the tournament as well.

“Creating a breakthrough musical collaboration is a concept that we are incredibly excited to make a reality for the 2024 US Open,” said Nicole Kankam, Managing Director, Pro Tennis Marketing and Entertainment. “The ability to do so in partnership with ESPN, to truly extend this across broadcast and in-event at the US Open, is an amazing opportunity. And, to be able to feature the music of Alicia Keys’ Hell’s Kitchen, perfectly reflects the New York vibe and feel of our event.”

“We are thrilled to bring this unique collaboration to life for the 2024 US Open, said Rachel Epstein, VP Marketing, Live Sports and Audience Expansion, ESPN. “Collaborating with the USTA and the Hell’s Kitchen team to integrate ‘Kaleidoscope’ into our marketing efforts and broadcast allows us to elevate and celebrate all that is so powerful about the US Open – the electric tournament experience, the world-class tennis, and the unmatched vibrancy of the US Open’s home, New York City.”

“We are so excited to have the opportunity to team up with two iconic, landmark New York institutions, The US Open and Broadway in a first of its kind partnership,” said Alicia Keys, Lead Producer, Hell’s Kitchen.. “We are grateful for the opportunity to collaborate with the USTA and ESPN under the shared goal of reaching and inspiring new audiences and using the music of Hell’s Kitchen to create connections and celebrate the 2024 tournament.” Hell’s Kitchen is currently playing at Broadway’s Shubert Theatre (225 West 45th Street) featuring a “powerhouse cast” (Variety) led by Tony Award® nominee Shoshana Bean, Tony Award® nominee Brandon Victor Dixon, Tony Award® winner Kecia Lewis, Chris Lee and Tony Award® winner Maleah Joi Moon. HELL’S KITCHEN is directed by four-time Tony Award® nominee Michael Greif, with choreography by four-time Tony Award® nominee Camille A. Brown, a book by Pulitzer Prize finalist and Tony Award® nominee Kristoffer Diaz – and the music of Alicia Keys, featuring new songs and her greatest hits.Tickets for Hell’s Kitchen are available at HellsKitchen.com and Telecharge.com and can also be purchased at the Shubert Theatre box office.

The US Open, a three-week celebration of tennis, kicks off with US Open Fan Week, which begins Monday, Aug. 19 and runs through Sunday, Aug. 25, during which the grounds of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center are free and open to the public. Fan Week includes the US Open Qualifying Tournament and numerous other events and activities. The Main Draw will take place beginning on Monday, Aug. 26, concluding with the Women’s Singles Final on Saturday, Sept. 7, and the Men’s Singles Final on Sunday, Sept. 8.

The post US Open And ESPN Partner With Alicia Keys’ ‘Hell’s Kitchen’ To Create Unique Music For 2024 US Open first appeared on The Source.

The post US Open And ESPN Partner With Alicia Keys’ ‘Hell’s Kitchen’ To Create Unique Music For 2024 US Open appeared first on The Source.

Jay-Z Surprised The 2024 Tony Awards By Joining Alicia Keys For A Spirited ‘Empire State Of Mind’ Performance

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Jay-Z doesn’t exactly have the strongest association with the Broadway world, but he still managed to wow at this weekend’s Tony Awards.

Alicia Keys’ musical Hell’s Kitchen was among this year’s nominees, so she performed during the ceremony. She began with a rendition of “Empire State Of Mind (Part II) Broken Down” before transitioning into the original “Empire State Of Mind,” during which Jay appeared on a giant screen to perform his part of the song, which got a big reaction from the audience. It turned out Jay was performing from the lobby outside of the venue, and Keys made her way out there to perform the track alongside Jay.

This actually isn’t Jay’s first Tonys experience: He was a producer of the musical Fela!, which is based on the life of Nigerian singer Fela Kuti. The show was one of the most-nominated at the 2010 Tonys, racking up 11 nods including for Best Musical. Jay said of the show at the time, “It’s an inspiration, about the power of music. Here’s a guy that’s on the other side of the world who was influenced by James Brown, who takes this thing and makes his own sort of genre of music. I just think it’s fascinating.”

Check out the performance above.

16-Time Grammy Award Winner Alicia Keys Debuts Video For “Kaleidoscope”

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Alicia Keys

Alicia Keys and the Broadway company of HELL’S KITCHEN today released the original music video for “Kaleidoscope,” the new songwritten for the musical HELL’S KITCHEN by 16-time Grammy Award winner Alicia Keys featuring Maleah Joi Moon. With Keys, lead cast member Maleah Joi Moon, and the Broadway company of HELL’S KITCHEN, the video also has a colorful cast of extras to showcase a true New York kaleidoscope of music, dance and community. Filmed entirely at Manhattan Plaza, the video is a love letter to the Hell’s Kitchen community where Alicia Keys was born and raised. From Manhattan Plaza’s courtyard to the Ellington Room where Alicia first learned to play the piano, the visual soars with the magic of the city, a world full of hopes and dreams and the long-held belief of every New Yorker that “anything is possible here.” 

The video’s director Kajal, a New York native herself, wanted to capture the rhythm and energy of the city that are the heartbeat of the song and the musical. Leading an all-female directing team, Kajal uses the lights and sounds of the city along with unique camera angles, vintage lenses, wide angles and more to bring cinematic flair to the story.  Choreography was directed by HELL’S KITCHEN choreographer Camille A. Brown. 

The cast of characters in the video were encouraged to bring their own sense of style to their wardrobe, something with their own unique sense of New York swagger. Alicia joined in — fans will see a nod to her family ties in a scene where she wears an exclusive custom-made GIANTS vest from the Dean Collection exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum, designed by Savant.

“This video is so special to me, it captures the spirit of Hell’s Kitchen, the place I grew up, and the new musical we’ve worked so hard to bring to life! One that is now debuting on Broadway on 4/20! I’m so proud to showcase a place I call home, and the amazing community that helped make me who I am today,” said Alicia Keys. “It also showcases the special cast of Hell’s Kitchen who are incredible artists and have that same feeling I do, we live in a concrete jungle where DREAMS are made of! This City holds a lot of hope. I want people to feel inspired by that hope, the song, the music, the movement, the lifestyle and the video.”

The post 16-Time Grammy Award Winner Alicia Keys Debuts Video For “Kaleidoscope” first appeared on The Source.

The post 16-Time Grammy Award Winner Alicia Keys Debuts Video For “Kaleidoscope” appeared first on The Source.

16-Time Grammy Award Winner Alicia Keys Debuts Original New Song “Kaleidoscope”

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AKW Productions is thrilled to announce the release of the original new song “Kaleidoscope” written for the new musical HELL’S KITCHEN by 16-time Grammy Award winner Alicia Keys. The new release produced by Breyan Isaac and Keys, and co-produced by Adam Blackstone, features vocals by Keys, Maleah Joi Moon and the Broadway company of HELL’S KITCHEN. “Kaleidoscope” – released via Alicia Keys Records – is now available on all streaming platforms. 

“Kaleidoscope” will have its world premiere performance on “The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon” Friday, March 22 at 11:35/10:35c on NBC.

HELL’S KITCHEN is conceived by the innovative mind of Alicia Keys, with music and lyrics by Keys, book by Pulitzer Prize finalist Kristoffer Diaz, music supervision by Emmy and Grammy Award winner Adam Blackstone, music consulting by two-time Tony and Emmy winner Tom Kitt, choreography by Tony Award nominee Camille A. Brown and direction by Tony Award nominee Michael Greif.

HELL’S KITCHEN will begin performances on Thursday, March 28, 2024 with an opening night set for Saturday, April 20, 2024 at Broadway’s Shubert Theatre (225 West 44th Street.)

The post 16-Time Grammy Award Winner Alicia Keys Debuts Original New Song “Kaleidoscope” first appeared on The Source.

The post 16-Time Grammy Award Winner Alicia Keys Debuts Original New Song “Kaleidoscope” appeared first on The Source.

Alicia Keys’ “Hell’s Kitchen” Broadway Musical: What We Know

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Alicia Keys has had a prolific 2023. This year, she released a new Christmas album, celebrated the 20th anniversary of her album, The Diary Of Alicia Keys, and toured North America. As 2023 comes to a close, Keys has set her sights on an exciting 2024, announcing that her musical, Hell’s Kitchen will be coming to Broadway in the new year. The stage jukebox musical premiered off-Broadway just last month at the Newman Theater in New York. The current iteration opened on November 19 and will run through January 7, 2024. 

Beginning March 28, 2024, Broadway performances will take place at the Shubert Theatre in New York, with tickets on sale now. The show’s runtime clocks in at 2.5 hours with an intermission. It will play eight performances a week, with two shows each on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Throughout the past month, Alicia Keys has been heavily promoting her latest endeavor and is taking it to the next level with its upcoming Broadway adaptation. As we await the premiere of her Broadway musical, here is what we know so far about Alicia Keys’ Hell’s Kitchen.

Read More: It’s Yo Birthday: 15 Best Alicia Keys Tracks

Who’s Involved In Alicia Keys’ Hell’s Kitchen?

Alicia Keys handles the music and lyrics of Hell’s Kitchen and does not appear in the production. This is not her first introduction to Broadway as she previously served as a producer and musical composer for Stick Fly in 2012. The music for Hell’s Kitchen includes songs from Alicia Keys’ discography, such as “Fallin’,” “No One,” “Girl On Fire,” “If I Ain’t Got You,” and “Empire State Of Mind.” According to the musical’s website, these songs “appear alongside previously unreleased and entirely new music from Keys.”

In addition to Alicia Keys, the creative team behind Hell’s Kitchen includes many notable names in theater. Pulitzer Prize finalist Kristoffer Diaz handles the book, Tony Award Nominee Camille A. Brown choreographed the show, and Tony Award nominee Michael Greif serves as its director. Musical orchestrators for Hell’s Kitchen include Adam Blackstone and Tom Kitt, with arrangements by Keys and Blackstone. The official cast for the Broadway adaptation has yet to be announced. Leading stars for the off-Broadway show include Maleah Joi Moon, Shoshana Bean, Brandon Victor Dixon, Kecia Lewis, and more.

Hell’s Kitchen Is Loosely Based On Alicia Keys’ Life

Hell’s Kitchen is inspired by Alicia Keys’ own life. According to Playbill, “The musical centers on 17-year-old Ali and her mother, sharing a cramped apartment near Times Square. Ali wants to live out her NYC dream, but mom is scared her daughter will repeat her own mistakes.” The musical’s title, Hell’s Kitchen, refers to the New York neighborhood where Keys lived during her childhood. Of the area, she told CBS News, “When I lived there, it was how it sounds. There was a lot of desolation there, there was a lot of drug addiction there, there was a lot of prostitution there. It was side-by-side, the desolation and the possibility. And I think that’s what kind of gave me a lot of hunger and grit.” 

Read More: Alicia Keys Taps Kanye West, Usher & More For “If I Ain’t Got You” Remix EP

The Reviews Are In

So far, the reception for Hell’s Kitchen has been mostly positive. The Guardian gave the show a glowing 5-star review, saying that “Hell’s Kitchen is a marvel! A live-wire theater adaptation of Alicia Keys’ hit list that brings the house down.” Variety also positively reacted to the show, writing that it is “a sparkling story with iconic music and absolute powerhouse vocals.” Other publications like The New York Times, Vulture, and the Los Angeles Times positively reviewed Hell’s Kitchen as well. 

Former New York Times theater critic Ben Brantley told CBS News that while he had only seen previews of the show, he noted that the changes to Alicia Keys’ popular songs to fit the plot might “de-jukebox-ify the show.” He said, “I like it when familiar songs sound fresh. You like to think that, especially her fan base, will have listened to those songs so often, that they may be sort of startled.” After Hell’s Kitchen makes its Broadway debut, we will see how the reception compares to its initial feedback. For now, this is all we know about Alicia Keys’ Broadway musical. Check back in with HotNewHipHop for the latest updates.

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