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Alicia Keys’ Hell’s Kitchen has been setting The Public Theater ablaze since its world premiere on Nov. 19. After receiving rave reviews and selling out numerous shows, the popular musical loosely based on the life of the 15-time Grammy Award-winning singer and songwriter is now headed to Broadway.
Set in Manhattan’s Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood, where Keys was born and raised, the play is a coming-to-age story built on the global superstar’s personal experiences and catalog. Actress Maleah Joi Moon stars as Ali, a 17-year-old defiant, biracial teen who bumps heads with her white, overprotective single mother, Jersey (played by Broadway veteran Shoshana Bean), while struggling to find her identity and independence. The tension between Ali and Jersey culminates when Jersey calls the police after catching Ali getting intimate with an older Black man.
Another important storyline involves Ali’s development as an artist after meeting Miss Liza Jane (played by Kecia Lewis), a stern piano teacher who helps Ali cultivate her musical gifts and find her voice.
“My favorite line in the show — which applies to a lot of us — is, ‘You are here because the voices of your ancestors have requested your presence,’” Lewis told BLACK ENTERPRISE, referring to a scene in which Miss Liza Jane summons a reluctant Ali for piano lessons. This line, Lewis explained, “speaks to all of us as a people. The fact that our ancestors were the ones who survived the Middle Passage. So, we come from people that dug in and held on no matter what. They just rolled with it and fought when they needed to fight.”
The songs featured in the musical – from “Girl on Fire” to “Fallin’” to deep Keys’ cuts like “Gramercy Park” — are artfully reimagined and reinterpreted for the play. Each performance brings the lyrics of her robust catalog to life while the story touches on complex issues like race, sex, and family relations. Not surprisingly, TheaterMania called Hell’s Kitchen ”easily the best new musical at the Public since Hamilton.”
Though she doesn’t appear in the musical, Keys serves as the lead producer and composer. After conceptualizing the play more than a decade ago, she worked with Emmy and Grammy Award-winner Adam Blackstone, director Michael Greif (who directed Rent in 1996), Pulitzer Prize-finalist playwright Kristoffer Diaz, and Tony-nominated choreographer Camille A. Brown to bring the story to life.
Following a successful run at The Public Theater, Keys announced on Dec. 4 that Hell’s Kitchen will debut on Broadway at the Shubert Theatre in the Theater District in the Spring, with previews starting March 28 and opening night on April 20. Until then, you can catch Hell’s Kitchen at The Public Theater until Jan. 14.
Alicia Keys’ Hell’s Kitchen has been setting The Public Theater ablaze since its world premiere on Nov. 19. After receiving rave reviews and selling out numerous shows, the popular musical loosely based on the life of the 15-time Grammy Award-winning singer and songwriter is now headed to Broadway.
Set in Manhattan’s Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood, where Keys was born and raised, the play is a coming-to-age story built on the global superstar’s personal experiences and catalog. Actress Maleah Joi Moon stars as Ali, a 17-year-old defiant, biracial teen who bumps heads with her white, overprotective single mother, Jersey (played by Broadway veteran Shoshana Bean), while struggling to find her identity and independence. The tension between Ali and Jersey culminates when Jersey calls the police after catching Ali getting intimate with an older Black man.
Another important storyline involves Ali’s development as an artist after meeting Miss Liza Jane (played by Kecia Lewis), a stern piano teacher who helps Ali cultivate her musical gifts and find her voice.
“My favorite line in the show — which applies to a lot of us — is, ‘You are here because the voices of your ancestors have requested your presence,’” Lewis told BLACK ENTERPRISE, referring to a scene in which Miss Liza Jane summons a reluctant Ali for piano lessons. This line, Lewis explained, “speaks to all of us as a people. The fact that our ancestors were the ones who survived the Middle Passage. So, we come from people that dug in and held on no matter what. They just rolled with it and fought when they needed to fight.”
The songs featured in the musical – from “Girl on Fire” to “Fallin’” to deep Keys’ cuts like “Gramercy Park” — are artfully reimagined and reinterpreted for the play. Each performance brings the lyrics of her robust catalog to life while the story touches on complex issues like race, sex, and family relations. Not surprisingly, TheaterMania called Hell’s Kitchen ”easily the best new musical at the Public since Hamilton.”
Though she doesn’t appear in the musical, Keys serves as the lead producer and composer. After conceptualizing the play more than a decade ago, she worked with Emmy and Grammy Award-winner Adam Blackstone, director Michael Greif (who directed Rent in 1996), Pulitzer Prize-finalist playwright Kristoffer Diaz, and Tony-nominated choreographer Camille A. Brown to bring the story to life.
Following a successful run at The Public Theater, Keys announced on Dec. 4 that Hell’s Kitchen will debut on Broadway at the Shubert Theatre in the Theater District in the Spring, with previews starting March 28 and opening night on April 20. Until then, you can catch Hell’s Kitchen at The Public Theater until Jan. 14.
Log line:
A love story begins between Yuki, a college girl who is deaf, and Itsuomi, her world-traveling upperclassman.
Who Created it:
As I wrote before when I praised this manga creating duo: In the modern age of Shojo, suu Morishita truly is one of the hardest working and most relevant creators in the game. The duo originally met in high-school and were classmates. Makiro creates the storyboard/layouts (writer), and Nachiyan illustrates the story. Among manga readers, they are perhaps best known for their polished art style of their books and the very engaging, layered stories of their characters.
What is it About:
A Sign of Affection revolves around Yuki: a first-year college student, whose world revolves around her friends, social media, and the latest sales. She’s happily exploring the world by way of her college classes, the new people she’s meeting on and off campus, and even considers a part-time job. A chance encounter on a train leads to her meeting fellow student Itsuomi-san and her world starts to widen.
Who Would this Appeal to:
- Fans of the original manga, of course
- Fans of the Shojo and Shojosei genres
- Folks interested in anime featuring a polyglot
- Folks interested in anime featuring a hearing impaired character
- Folks interested in Japanese sign language and/or folks who already speak it
- Folks looking for a new anime with a slice of life feel
- Fans of a romance centering slightly older people–out of high school
Where Can I Read it:
You can read the English translated original ongoing manga series as it is being published through Kodansha. (Available both in print and digital releases) The company licensed and released the manga digitally in 2020, released the manga’s first volume in print in February 2021, and the eighth volume will be released in 2024. The manga series has sold some 3.8 million copies in circulation (including digital) for vols 1-10, back in its native country! According to Anime News Network, the manga was nominated for Best Shōjo Manga in the Annual Kodansha Manga Awards in 2021, 2022, and 2023. The manga also inspired a musical stage play adaptation in 2021.
Who are Some Important Characters I Should Know About:
Yuki: a first-year college student, who is happily exploring the world by way of her college classes, the new people she’s meeting on and off campus, and even considers a part-time job. College is a perfect opportunity for her to not just learn more about the world but be a part of it. She’s so excited to go out on her own, be with others and just be present, whether it is on campus, at a local bar, or commuting. A chance encounter on a train leads to her meeting fellow student Itsuomi-san and her world starts to widen.
Itsumi: a globe-trotting young man who can speak three languages, sign language isn’t one of them. He’s curious, not put off by her and eventually drawn to her and her expressions and the way she “speaks” with her hands, through sign language. An upperclassman on their campus, he comes and goes abroad and comes back with many stories. He’s a tall, good-looking guy who looks to make girls swoon over him. As someone who stands out in a crowd, his friendship turned to romance with Yuki raises a lot of eyebrows. He doesn’t mind, aloof most times, Itsumi dances to the beat of his own drum, which adds to his charm.
What to Expect?
As I noted in my trailer reaction write up: The way these two are drawn to each other and how Itsuomi yearns to get to know Yuki and learn Japanese sign language is easily one of the most impactful manga series that I’ve come across in such a long time. Watching these two learn how to communicate, the budding feelings between them has been such an intimate and thrilling read and hearing an anime adaptation means the world to me. Seeing more hearing-impaired disabled characters in anime is always welcomed!
A Sign of Affection is full of real-life details about Japanese sign language and living without hearing. I love that audiences will get to see how creative Yuki is in how she communicates to others and the challenges she faces. To me, the core of this series is the value and importance of communication. There are a few languages spoken in the original work through Itsuomi: he’s a polygot, of course. There’s Japanese, the language both he and Yuki speak. There’s Japanese sign language that Yuki knows, and slowly teaches the young man who enters her life one snowy day.
Yuki communicates mostly through Japanese sign language, and Itsuomi jumps at the chance to start learning how to sign to not only be able to speak with her and to, eventually, show how much he adores her. A Sign of Affection has such coming-of-age vibes in a series about communication and the pursuit of finding the words, the signs–to show the person you adore most–that you care for them. Simply put, A Sign of Affection illustrates that connection is important and trying to understand others is the key. A Sign of Affection defines what modern day Shojo is in my books and this adaptation will be watched day one it airs!
@crunchyroll A Sign of Affection is coming to Crunchyroll in 2024
♬ original sound – crunchyroll#ASignofAffection #animenews #trailer
Based on the manga by Suu Morishita (Like a Butterfly), A Sign of Affection is being directed by Yuta Murano (Kakushigoto) at studio Ajiado, with series composition by Yoko Yonaiyama (Ya Boy Kongming!), character designs by Kasumi Sakai and music by Yukari Hashimoto (Komi Can’t Communicate).
The anime’s main cast is as follows:
- Yuki Itose voiced by Sumire Morohoshi (Fumino in Skip and Loafer)
- Itsuomi Nagi voiced by Yu Miyazaki (Quartz in I’m the Villainess, So I’m Taming the Final Boss)
The A Sign of Affection anime is scheduled to air on January 6, 2024.
See more information of the anime’s official website and X (Twitter) account.
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The post The Beginner’s Primer to the ‘A Sign of Affection’ Anime Coming January 2024 appeared first on Black Nerd Problems.
By Taylor Crumpton ·Updated December 27, 2023
Once the leftovers are packed away and the last scoop of the baked macaroni and cheese has been taken, Black households across America begin preparations to bring in the New Year. From the washing of floorboards to the soaking of greens, the aroma of freshly baked cornbread and stewed black eyed peas remind us of cherished moments with grandparents and extended family in town for the holidays. Now these traditions which are passed down from generation to generation, are known to originate from African origin.
In recent years, series such as Netflix’s High on the Hog: How African American Cuisine Transformed America have brought to light the connection between food traditions in The United States and the African Diaspora. Yet, a point of origin that is often overlooked is Hoodoo.
Described as the religio-spiritual practice of the Black American ethnic group, by Emanuel Basnight, a Hoodoo practitioner, researcher and teacher. The ritual of preparing food is essential to the practice. “It’s that understanding. From the very basics of growing a seed to harvesting. It’s the understanding of our existence in the world and where we stand in relation to the flora, the fauna, the spirits, and the creator,” said Lissah Ryaan Mason, root worker, herbalist, and birth worker.
An unintended impact of the pandemic and protests around the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Floyd was resurgence of African Traditional Religions, such as Ifà, Lucumi, Santerià, and Diasporic Traditional Religions like Hoodoo. Basnight, much like Mason, characterized this shift as “Black people were searching for something that we struggle to receive from Abrahamic religions, and that is meaning people were looking for anything to explain the meaning behind what we were experiencing.”
Mason recalled a conversation with her mother about the comparisons between Hoodoo and Christianity. The usage of water to baptize. The ritual of Passover. The Holy Spirit. The belief that everything comes from the Creator. Although New Year’s Eve is not a religious holiday, the tradition of attending church on New Year’s Eve, followed by a meal of “Hoppin John’, collard greens with hog jowls, and ribs,” comes from Watch Night.
According to the National Museum of African American History and Culture, the night, also known as Freedom’s Eve, occurred on December 31, 1862 where “enslaved and free African Americans gathered, many in secret, to ring in the new year and await news that the Emancipation Proclamation had taken effect.” For generations, African Americans have used New Year’s Eve to commemorate their freedom, strength, and resilience through worship to the Creator and food.
Compared to Thanksgiving and Christmas, where debates emerge over which family member makes the best mac and cheese, the menu for New Year’s Eve consists of slow cooked greens, meats, and legumes which presents a moment for prayer and introspection. “Those foods play a specific role in setting the tone for the going out of the new year and the ushering in of the new year,” said Basnight. “You take the meaning plus the action for desired outcome and intentional outcome. That is why I would say that moment in Black culture is very much Hoodoo.”
For example, the act of cleaning one’s house to bring in The New Year is a cleansing ritual to open space for blessings to come in the following year. Sweeping the house back to front. Removing dust from the corners. Getting rid of old things. Wearing something new. A male family member being the first to walk into the house. Money in the wallet.Several of these practices have ties to ritualistic practices in Africa, according to Mason.
“I found that to be a beautiful connection, an example of retention of African Indigenous culture, now being adapted to this European interruption that is colonial America,” she said. Though items such as collard greens, which originated from Europe, are not African in nature. The ways in which African Americans have prepared them is. “The principle of consuming something for protection and consuming for material and spiritual abundance or luck, I feel is very West African and it’s not something that we let go,” said Basnight.
Though separated by oceans and times, the gift and joy of being African American is the ability to pay homage to our ancestors through the creation of our own distinctive traditions like Hoodoo. So when you look at your plate on New Year’s Eve and see collard greens, which wealth, black-eyed peas, rice, which symbolizes sustenance, cornbread, which symbolizes gold, and yams, which represents fertility; remember the spiritual heritage of African Americans and the ancestors who made it possible for you to be here today.
The post Why Do We Eat Black-Eyed Peas On New Years? Hoodoo appeared first on Essence.
How ‘Madame Web’ Is Looking to Upend the Entire Spider-Man Mythos with the Inclusion of Ezekiel Sims
The Spider-Man universe has long captivated audiences with its blend of relatable heroism, thrilling adventure, and fantastic humor. Those qualities have translated well into the cinematic universe, starting with Sam Raimi’s trilogy and continuing through Marc Webb’s duology as well as the MCU’s Homecoming trilogy. Traditionally, this particular universe is focused on the experiences of its titular character, AKA Peter Parker, while also exploring themes of responsibility — a great deal of which comes with great power but also youth and morality.
However, up until now, the Spider-Man mythos in the film have yet to explore the most transcendental nature of being a Spider-Man — which was, admittedly, somewhat explored in the animated Spider-Verse movie series. But that’s about to change. With February 14, 2024, fast approaching, the upcoming Madame Web movie promises to revolutionize the beloved Spider-Man mythos by introducing a character largely unexplored in cinematic adaptations.
Enter Ezekiel Sims, whose introduction poses a major shift in the thematic structure of the Spider-Man universe.
The first trailer for Madame Web just dropped, introducing the film’s villain as Ezekiel Sims, who’s apparently clad in a dark version of the classic Spider-Man costume and feeds on the energies of spider-people (individuals across the multiverse who have the same general powers as Spider-Man) in order to maintain his longevity. In the context of the upcoming movie, Ezekiel’s motivations appear to steer in the direction of eliminating of Julia Carpenter (Spider-Woman), Mattie Franklin (also Spider-Woman), and Anya Corazon (Spider-Girl). However, this also leads to a confrontation with Madame Web, who’s trying to save the girls from Ezekiel’s deadly touch.
As is often the case with cinematic adaptations of narratively massive universes, Ezekiel Sims is grossly misrepresented in the upcoming film. We’re not saying that he isn’t villainous in the comics, but we are saying that he isn’t actually feeding off the energy of the spider-people. It would appear that for whatever reason, Sony Pictures decided to merge Ezekiel with Morlun, a villain from the comic that led to Ezekiel’s introduction, as well as to introduce the concept of Spider-Totems and the connection to Anansi the Spider, a god of knowledge from West African folklore.
In the comics, Ezekiel is actually a mentor and ally to Spider-Man, with mystical knowledge about Spider-Man’s powers and his every connection with the Spider-Verse that stems from the fact that he also has spider powers. However, unlike Peter, who believes that his powers come from a radioactive spider bite, Ezekiel gained his powers through a magic ritual, which tied him to a so-called Spider-Totem, basically a mystical force that empowers all spider-heroes across the Multiverse.
This is what brings the transcendental component into the Spider-Man narrative. Ezekiel reveals that Peter didn’t inherit his spider powers from a spider bite. Peter’s spider was irradiated and tried to pass spider powers on to Peter before it died of radiation. Of course, Peter disagrees with this assessment, and the two go on to fight Morlun. Ezekiel eventually dies in the comics, and his death brings about the ultimate revelation: Spider-Totems are real, and Peter and Ezekiel aren’t the only people with spider powers in this universe.
In fact, at the very same time Peter was bitten by the irradiated spider when he was a teenager, his classmate Cindy Moon also gained spider powers. Unfortunately, she was also captured and locked away by Ezekiel, who was trying to prevent Cindy and Peter from meeting and coming into Morlun’s crosshairs. However, with Ezekiel dead, Peter finds and frees Cindy, who eventually becomes a spider hero known as Silk. The two have a short but intense romantic relationship spurred by their mutual connection to the metaphysical Spider-Totems.
The introduction of Spider-Totems paired with the foray into mysticism throws some fresh perspective on the Spider-Man mythos, which ultimately allows for a more complex narrative to emerge since the focus shifts from Peter’s individual struggles to a broader and more universal battle. It also challenges all the previously established understanding and the fandom’s knowledge of Spider-Man’s powers as a mere accident and provides the superhero with a more mystical quality.
This really isn’t a novelty when it comes to Marvel Comics; both Doctor Strange and Thor adaptations have previously introduced mystical and cosmic elements to the MCU, and now Madame Web is doing the same. Taking into account that the upcoming movie is a Spider-Man spin-off and the fact that the Spider-Verse is very popular in both animation and gaming, it’s entirely possible that Sony is trying to establish a franchise of its own, one that’s adjacent to the MCU.
We just hope that Sony won’t trade quality for quantity like Disney did. Considering that they already merged Ezekiel and Morlun, our hopes might be for naught. The introduction of Ezekiel Sims and the Spider-Totems certainly provides an opportunity, though, as well as the opportunity for the purported franchise to dive into worldwide cultural and mythological lore. This would not only broaden the scope of the narrative but also enriches the cultural diversity and inclusivity of the Spider-Man universe. Also, we wouldn’t complain about a live-action Miles Morales.