'Hell's Kitchen' Star Kecia Lewis Talks 40 Years On Broadway
From ‘Dreamgirls’ To ‘Hell’s Kitchen’—Tony Award Winner Kecia Lewis On 41 Years Of Shaping Broadway [Exclusive]
Since age 18, Kecia Lewis has left an indelible mark on Broadway, and with each role, she’s making way for the Black women who follow her.
Destined for greatness, Lewis’ Broadway debut was performing in the legendary original company of Dreamgirls; other theater credits include Big River, Once on This Island, Chicago, Cinderella, and a host of different titles, including the off-Broadway productions of The Skin of Our Teeth, Mother Courage, and Marie and Rosetta.
Beyond the stage, Lewis has appeared in recurring roles on numerous television series, including Law & Order: SVU and The Blacklist, but her heart has always remained with theater.
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“I have been in the business, this past June 15 made 41 years, and I’ve been doing Broadway and film and television for all these years,” she told MadameNoire. I have always considered myself a gifted actor, but wasn’t necessarily celebrated in the way I expected, especially in my younger years when I was a lot less humble. It was like, can’t they see I’m fabulous, but as the years go by, I figured out, it’s not about that. “I didn’t get into this to be fabulous. I got into this because I’m passionate about it.”
In 2024, Lewis joined the Broadway production of Hell’s Kitchen, where she continues to shine as Miss Liza Jane. The role has earned her numerous accolades and praise, including a 2024 Tony Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical.
“I’ve been told many times that my character is the heart of the story,” she said. “That Miss Liza Jane represents someone that we all, practically everyone in the world, have had, which is a mentor. She is someone who cares about our leading lady, Ally, our protagonist in the show, and she wants to see her excel. She wants to see her utilize the gifts and talents that she has and not waste them. She also wants her to be aware of all those who have come before her, and how important it is for her to be conscientious about her gift, and that she is part of a long line of Black women who have contributed…in this way.”
“It’s a privilege to play Miss Liza Jane. I’ve had so many Miss Liza Jane’s in my life and Mister Liza Jane’s, if you will, that it is an absolute privilege to be able to represent that for so many people. No matter who you are, no matter where they come from, people just identify with her.”
Like many industries, Black women continue to fight for equality and better treatment within the world of theater. Recently, Lewis demanded better behavior from fellow thespian Patti LuPone after she referred to Hell’s Kitchen as “too loud.”
The jukebox musical features music and lyrics by Alicia Keys and is loosely based on the singer’s life, and LuPone’s comments came about when she starred in The Roommate stage play, which shared a wall with Hell’s Kitchen.
Ultimately, LuPone issued an apology after Lewis called out the fellow Broadway veteran for being “offensive, rude, and racially microaggressive,” but admits that comments like these barely touch the surface of the prejudices Black actors face both on and off the stage.
“This is a continual unfortunate struggle that just when I think that we’ve made some progress…unfortunately, in a lot of ways, we are not seen as important enough, just from our existence, let alone what we contribute,” Lewis said. “It’s almost like we should be grateful that we have an opportunity to contribute with no recognition of the humanity.”
She also spoke to the weight that comes with walking a fine line between showing up and doing the work she’s so passionate about, but in the same breath, having to defend the right to be there, and shine.
“It can be exhausting,” said Lewis. “We live in a country where our history informs our treatment as people of color, and so it can be very exhausting. I don’t know if I would say I’m still fighting in the same way as I’m advocating for myself and others, loudly, and picking and choosing my battles. Because if you fight every single thing that comes down the pipe, that comes towards us, you would be somewhere in a rubber room. So you have to pick and choose. I have to pick and choose for my own sanity and mental health.”
Lewis added, “I raised a son as a single parent from the time my son was eight, he and his dad and I split when he was eight. And so I’ve also had the experience of raising a brown child in New York City, a brown male child, and so that has informed my advocacy in a whole other kind of way. And I just feel that if I do my work and maintain my dignity and demand the respect as it presents itself as needing to be demanded, because there are some people that you can’t reach, and you have to use your discernment to decide. Can I reach this person? Is there a possibility? And then if I can’t, I don’t have any more energy left to waste on people who are not listening or don’t even want to listen.”
Through it all, Lewis, who recently celebrated a milestone birthday, turning 60 years old on June 30, says that there’s still work to do and stories to tell through characters explicitly designed with her in mind.
When asked what’s currently feeding her spirit, the answer was simple—“It’s my relationship with God,” said Lewis.
“I’ve been blessed to choose roles that speak to who I want to be in the world. I want to be that mother figure. I want to be that Auntie. I want to be that mentor,” she concluded. “I want to be that shoulder that you can cry on. I want to be the one that will kick you in your behind if you need a kick in your behind, you know, whatever it is that Black women, very often, almost always, have been and done, that’s kind of what’s happened for me. I’m very proud of that, I’m very appreciative that it’s looked upon as important to the canon of Black theater.”
The Broadway production of Hell’s Kitchen opened on April 20, 2024, at the Shubert Theatre in New York City, and is still available to catch.
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