After A 40-Year Broadway Career, Kecia Lewis Gets Her First Tony Nomination for Hell’s Kitchen

In the Broadway musical Hell's Kitchen Kecia Lewis plays Miss Liza Jane, 17-year-old Ali's mentor and piano teacher. Inspired by the songs and experiences of Alicia Keys growing up in New York City, Ali (Maleah Joi Moon) is eager to get out of her mother's clutches. She longs to discover a world beyond her Manhattan Plaza apartment building in her Hell's Kitchen neighborhood. Ali has to figure out where he fits.

As the saying goes, there are diamonds in your backyard. And Miss Liza Jane, a fellow resident of Manhattan Plaza, who is called “the heart, soul and conscience of the building” is the ultimate gem. It nurtures Ali's passion and imbues it with a deep sense of inner strength and wisdom.

As Miss Liza, Jane Lewis manages to be nurturing but never suffocating, tough but always loving. “Your anger is earned,” he tells Ali. “But I won't let it defeat you.” Help Ali discover his wings. In fact, after working on Broadway for four decades, Lewis received his first Tony nomination Hell's Kitchen. (The show, now playing at the Shubert Theatre, was nominated for a total of 13 Tonys.) And Lewis has already won Lucille Lortel, Outer Critics Circle and Drama Desk awards.

“I worked as an interpreter for 40 years. And being the first Tony nominee now feels seen and recognized in a different way than before,” Lewis says. “I've been fortunate enough to work pretty consistently over the years in television, theater and a little movie theater. So I feel like I'm sure I'm doing a good job. People who work in this industry know what it takes to do what we do, eight shows, six days a week. They're saying, “You've done an amazing job and congratulations, we want you to know we see you.”

For Lewis, the joy of playing Miss Liza Jane is that she gets to remind the audience of the mentor, teacher or inspiration they had in their lives. “Most of us have had someone in our lives who saw us as a young person, really saw us, and did and said everything they could to help cheer us up,” says Lewis, which has had a fair share of Miss and Mr. Liza. Janes.

“I'm so grateful for what's been poured into me. Each and every one of them contributed to who I am as an actor, as a human being,” says Lewis, who graduated from the High School of Performing Arts and made his debut in Broadway in the musical. Dreamgirls when she was 18 years old. She loves seeing how people respond to Miss Liza Jane. “Sometimes I chat with people at the stage door and very often they tell me I remind them of someone who taught them piano or was a voice teacher or their grandmother or their aunt,” says Lewis. “And that's a wonderful thing.”

Jeryl Brunner: What went through your mind when you heard about Hell's Kitchen and the possibility of being on the show?

Kecia Lewis: The first time I heard about it Hell's Kitchenhad finished [the show’s director] Miquel Greif We have known each other for many years. Michael and I worked together in 1986 on the Broadway show Great River, where he was associate director. Since then we have worked together in workshops, but never in a full production.

In early 2021 he contacted me to say he was working on a new piece. There was a role I thought I was right for and would do a reading. I read and loved the script and had no idea Alicia Keys was involved in any way. When we did the reading I found out that Alicia had been working on the project for about 11 years. They asked me for another reading, then I did a workshop. It continued until I was part of the original off-Broadway cast at the Public Theater. It's all been quite remarkable and unlike anything I've done before.

Brunner: In many ways, Miss Liza Jane is the soul of Hell's Kitchen which opens Ali to a new world. In what aspects do you think?

Lewis: I'm similar because I love mentoring people and have been doing it for a long time. I teach young singers, young actors and sometimes do life coaching with colleagues. I really like it and I do it a lot in the theater. We have a lot of young people in our show. Most of our cast is making their Broadway debut. So I'm constantly being asked for advice. I absolutely love it. I feel privileged that people are interested in what I have to say and take it to heart. I'm grateful to have that kind of respect in the industry and with other young people.

Brunner: When did you know you had to act?

Lewis: When I was little, I was an only child. I watched a lot of TV, not just because I was a bit of a nanny at times, but because I loved it. I loved getting lost in different worlds and seeing people's scenarios. I remember seeing the carol burnett show when she was probably 7 or 8, and seeing her be this kind, funny person who could sing and dance and bring so much joy to people. He wanted to do it because of the joy he felt when he saw her.

Brunner: Where were you when you found out you were nominated for a Tony?

Lewis: Our stage managers hosted a Zoom party for us online where all the cast members, whoever wanted to participate, could hear the nominations together and be together. That's how I found out. We were all watching and by the third or fourth nomination that was announced for our show, I was already crying and so happy. When I heard my name I had to hold my face because I let out a really bad ugly scream.

You expect, as an actor, to hear your name called, but you don't know for sure. And I made sure to keep that stance in my heart. So I was a little surprised, but excited and excited to find out. And to have that moment with my cast mates was really wonderful. I think someone recorded it. I remember before Zoom started we were all asked if we would be okay recording Zoom. So I think it exists somewhere and I'd like to see it at some point.

Brunner: Working in this industry is a marathon and you've thrived. What kept you going, especially during the tough times?

Lewis: I am a Christian and I practice prayer daily. Also, the good people in my life have convinced me not to want to give up when the jobs didn't come as fast as I needed. A couple of people have told me about the ledge when I wanted to quit. When I called an actress friend, she'd say, “What else are you going to do? You don't know how to do anything else.” She'd make me laugh and get me out of that place. There was never anything else I really wanted to do.

Brunner: And I read that you raised your son as a single mother.

Lewis: I was a single parent for most of my son's life. I remember a time when I had been out of work for about six months and unemployment was coming to an end. I thought, well, I just have to create something to get a job. So I ended up writing a cabaret for myself which opened up another world for me. My friend who did Once on this island with me directed And my dear friend, LaChanze, who was also there Once on this island, appeared as a guest and it went down really well. I think I had three sold out shows. I haven't done that in a while, but just creating something for myself and writing has been an outlet to keep me going.