Now she's in New York! Alicia Keys's new musical Hell's Kitchen, inspired by the Grammy-winning musician's New York upbringing, is coming to Broadway just blocks away from the title neighborhood. Get Hell's Kitchen tickets on New York Theatre Guide.
The Hell's Kitchen musical is set in a tiny apartment in the title neighborhood, where 17-year-old Ali has big dreams and a wary mother who tries to keep Ali from repeating her past mistakes. As Ali falls for a young drummer and befriends a piano teacher in her building, she and her mother learn all the possibilities Ali's future can hold — and the racial and coming-of-age obstacles she'll have to overcome to make her dreams come true.
This new show marks Keys's second foray into Broadway theatre following the 2011 play Stick Fly, for which she composed original music. She's best known for her acclaimed music career, which has earned her 15 Grammy Awards. Keys is known for her unique sound that blends R&B, soul, hip-hop, and pop, and some of her biggest hits include "Fallin'," "If I Ain't Got You," and "Empire State of Mind." All these existing hits and more appear in Hell's Kitchen alongside previously unheard songs.
Hell's Kitchen on Broadway is at the Shubert Theatre in the Theatre District, adjacent to Hell's Kitchen. The musical premiered a little further away from the title neighborhood, though: at The Public Theater in Manhattan's NoHo neighborhood. Multiple musicals, including Manhattan native Lin-Manuel Miranda's Hamilton, made the move uptown after premiering at the Public.
Speaking of New York natives, the entire lead creative team of Hell's Kitchen, alongside Keys, was also born and raised in the area. Director Michael Greif, a four-time Tony nominee for directing the NYC-set Rent and other shows, is from Brooklyn. Choreographer Camille A. Brown (two-time Tony nominee for the 2022 revival of for colored girls) hails from Queens, and bookwriter Kristoffer Diaz (Pulitzer Prize finalist for The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity) is from Yonkers, just outside the city.
Get tickets to Hell's Kitchen in New York now.