Tony-nominated actress Shoshana Bean speaks candidly about growing older in the entertainment industry and the unique opportunity she had to work with Alicia Keys.
“It's a challenge getting older in this business, and it's been a challenge for me to finally play a mother at this stage of my career. Two years ago I just played someone's daughter, and now I'm playing a mother. arm-wrestling with my ego to get into this,” Bean said.
Bean is one of the stars of the musical “Hell's Kitchen”, which is inspired by the life of Keys, who developed the show. The musical follows Ali, who longs for independence from her overprotective mother, played by Bean.
“This isn't your normal mom on Broadway. We're really rewriting some old-fashioned paradigms with these characters.”
Bean calls Keys the “greatest gift of this project” and says she highlighted what is unique about each person involved in the project.
“My favorite thing she ever said to me was a little love note that she left on my makeup station in my dressing room, and she said 'shine unhinged,'” Bean revealed.
“To have someone say, 'Be all who you are. You have my full permission to maybe be more than you even know you are.' So to get that kind of permission is rare, and it's special.”
The musical, which started off-Broadway, has thirteen Tony nominations, including one for “Best Musical.” Bean said there was fear when performers moved from an off-Broadway show to Broadway.
“The danger and the fear, when you move from a small intimate space to a house like the Shubert (Theater), is always 'what are we going to lose? What heart are we going to lose? What intimacy? What are we missing? ?'” she says explained. “Strangely enough, I feel like our show did the opposite of what often happens, and I feel like this space almost galvanized us in an incredible way.”
Bean credits the cast and crew relationships offstage with the seamless transition.
“It's just remained very human and grounded, with things tending to become largely theatrical, especially in a larger space.”
The cast album will be released on June 7. The 77th Annual Tony Awards airs June 16 at 8pm EST on CBS and Paramount+.
