SONGS OF HERSELF

“Hell's Kitchen,” at the Public, and The Gardens of Anuncia,” at Lincoln Center.

- HELEN SHAW

Writing a biographical musical is tricky. Where do you begin and end? Lives often don't follow a dramatic arc, and bending events into the right curve might damage them. Writing an autobiographical musical is trickier still.

If you're notable enough to be writing one, it can be awkward to mention all your achievements. Surely you don't need to explain yourself? Alicia Keys-global megastar and winner of fifteen Grammy Awards, including three for Best R. & B. Albumneatly sidesteps these issues with the frequently exhilarating (and occasionally repetitive) "Hell's Kitchen," now at the Public. First, she and her book writer, Kristoffer Diaz, limit their focus to a few months in the life of a musically gifted seventeen-year-old in New York.