It91裸聊视频檚 fitting that Kecia Lewis has had her most successful theater season while playing a mentor.

The Broadway veteran 91裸聊视频� now celebrating 40 years in the business 91裸聊视频� portrays the formidable piano teacher Miss Liza Jane in 91裸聊视频淗ell91裸聊视频檚 Kitchen91裸聊视频� who inspires the show91裸聊视频檚 young heroine to embrace music.

91裸聊视频淪it. Learn,91裸聊视频� she says to her new teenage pupil, a role loosely based on Alicia Keys. The youngster looks at the older one at the piano and says: 91裸聊视频淚 see in her, for the first time in my life, I think, what I might someday be: powerful. Regal. A queen.91裸聊视频�

Lewis is like that cool, no-nonsense wise head who radiates skill, warmth and professionalism, helping rising star Maleah Joi Moon make her Broadway debut in the main role.

91裸聊视频淪he91裸聊视频檚 an earthy and royal woman and she brings a sense of powerful groundedness to every room she walks in,91裸聊视频� Moon says. 91裸聊视频淚 knew from our first conversation that I wanted to learn as much as I could from her.91裸聊视频�

Lewis is having a special spring. Her musical has garnered 13 Tony Award nominations and she has earned her first Tony nod. She has already won awards from the Outer Critics and Lucille Lortel.

91裸聊视频淭his is all I91裸聊视频檝e ever wanted to do since I was a child. This is the only thing that I91裸聊视频檓 truly trained in,91裸聊视频� she says. 91裸聊视频淚91裸聊视频檇 be faking it in any other profession. I love what I do. It doesn91裸聊视频檛 feel like work to me.91裸聊视频�

Lewis made her Broadway debut at 18 in the original company of 91裸聊视频淒reamgirls91裸聊视频� in the mid-1980s and went on to 91裸聊视频淭he Gospel at Colonus91裸聊视频� with Morgan Freeman, 91裸聊视频淏ig River,91裸聊视频� 91裸聊视频淎in91裸聊视频檛 Misbehavin91裸聊视频�91裸聊视频� and 91裸聊视频淥nce on This Island.91裸聊视频�

The world of the theater almost lost her. She left 91裸聊视频淥nce on This Island91裸聊视频� early to do a TV pilot that didn91裸聊视频檛 pan out and was heartbroken. For six years, she taught fifth and sixth grades, worked at a magazine and at a shelter for young women who were pregnant and homeless.

Her love of performing gnawed at her until she decided to return to auditions in 1991. She knew she was rusty, so she auditioned for things she knew she91裸聊视频檇 never book, like a role in 91裸聊视频淭he Sound of Music91裸聊视频� at the Santa Barbara Civic Light Opera.

91裸聊视频淚 thought, no one will ever cast me in 91裸聊视频楾he Sound of Music.91裸聊视频� And I got it. I was cast as the Mother Abbess. And that got me started,91裸聊视频� she says.

The Ventura County Star critic was impressed: 91裸聊视频淎s the Mother Abbess, Lewis blows open the lobby doors with her 91裸聊视频楥limb Every Mountain.91裸聊视频� Intermission comes just in time: Her booming finish to the song would be a hard act to follow.91裸聊视频�

That role led to a string of Rodgers and Hammerstein shows 91裸聊视频� 91裸聊视频淪outh Pacific91裸聊视频� and 91裸聊视频淭he King and I91裸聊视频� 91裸聊视频� and interesting parts. 91裸聊视频淎nd then I was clear, 91裸聊视频極K, you were supposed to go back,91裸聊视频�91裸聊视频� she says.

Since her returns, Lewis91裸聊视频� roles have included Broadway 91裸聊视频� 91裸聊视频淭he Drowsy Chaperone,91裸聊视频� 91裸聊视频淐hicago,91裸聊视频� 91裸聊视频淟eap of Faith,91裸聊视频� 91裸聊视频淐inderella91裸聊视频� and 91裸聊视频淐hildren of a Lesser God91裸聊视频� 91裸聊视频� and off-Broadway in 91裸聊视频淢other Courage,91裸聊视频� 91裸聊视频淭he Skin of Our Teeth91裸聊视频� and 91裸聊视频淢arie and Rosetta.91裸聊视频� Her TV parts include 91裸聊视频淭he Blacklist,91裸聊视频� 91裸聊视频淢adam Secretary,91裸聊视频� 91裸聊视频淩oyal Pains91裸聊视频� and 91裸聊视频淏lue Bloods.91裸聊视频�

91裸聊视频淚 feel like I have a whole encyclopedia I could write about 40 years in this business,91裸聊视频� she says.

Michael Greif, the director of 91裸聊视频淗ell91裸聊视频檚 Kitchen,91裸聊视频� knew Lewis from their days working on 91裸聊视频淏ig River91裸聊视频� and thought she91裸聊视频檇 be perfect for Miss Liza Jane.

91裸聊视频淜ecia is a great teacher on and offstage,91裸聊视频� Greif says. 91裸聊视频淪he brings her considerable experience, wisdom and generosity to every encounter with Maleah and to our incredible ensemble, many of whom are making their Broadway debuts.91裸聊视频�

Lewis initially read the script not knowing that Keys91裸聊视频� songs would be used or that the teen at its center shared connections to the Grammy winner.

The show is set in Manhattan Plaza, an apartment complex in the Hell91裸聊视频檚 Kitchen neighborhood of Manhattan where Keys grew up and which offers affordable housing for people in the arts. It has a multipurpose space with a piano 91裸聊视频� the Ellington Room 91裸聊视频� where, in the musical, the heroine discovers Miss Liza Jane, an amalgamation of Keys91裸聊视频� mentors.

Lewis knows both the complex and the room well. She went to high school nearby, and one of her closest friends lived in Manhattan Plaza. She even sang at a memorial for her friend91裸聊视频檚 dad in the Ellington Room.

Keys personally worked with Lewis on her two big songs 91裸聊视频� 91裸聊视频淧erfect Way to Die91裸聊视频� and 91裸聊视频淎uthor of Forever,91裸聊视频� both already released 91裸聊视频� and the team paid for piano lessons so she could look the part.

On a deeper level, Lewis also connected to the musical91裸聊视频檚 coming-of-age story of a young woman with a single mom negotiating the tough streets of New York.

91裸聊视频淚 was a single parent of a son. My son is 20 now and in New York. So I understood on a very personal level a lot of what was being said and what was trying to be conveyed. She allowed me to bring all of that along with what she gave me and just let me fly on my own.91裸聊视频�

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Mark Kennedy, The Associated Press