Alicia Keys’ Semi-Autobiographical Stage Musical ‘Hell’s Kitchen’ Moves To Broadway In Spring

NEW YORK, NY – Alicia Keys‘ artistry is coming to Broadway with the announcement of her upcoming stage production, Hell’s Kitchen. After an off-Broadway run, the semi-autobiographical musical by the singer-songwriter will come to Broadway’s Shubert Theater.

“I loved going to the theater, and I was inspired by it and the songwriting and the expression and the beauty and the way you could be transported,” she tells The Associated Press. “But I never really put it together that maybe one day I would be able to debut on Broadway.”

Performances begin March 28, with an opening set for April 20. Tickets went on sale on Dec. 11. No casting news was revealed, but Maleah Joi Moon was the lead off-Broadway.

The musical features Keys’ best-known hits: “Fallin’,” “No One,” “Girl on Fire,” “If I Ain’t Got You,” and, of course, “Empire State of Mind,” as well as four new songs.

The coming-of-age story about a gifted teenager is by playwright Kristoffer Diaz, a Pulitzer Prize finalist for “The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity.” It is directed by Michael Greif, who also helmed “Dear Evan Hansen,” and has choreography by Camille A. Brown.

Hell’s Kitchen is a show that will celebrate New York City from Keys’ perspective as a native New Yorker. “Hell’s Kitchen” centers on 17-year-old Ali, who, like Keys, is the daughter of a white mother and a Black father and is about growing up in a subsidized housing development just outside Times Square in the once-rough neighborhood called Hell’s Kitchen. 

The synopsis: In a cramped apartment hanging off the side of Times Square, 17-year-old Ali is desperate to get her piece of the New York dream. Ali’s mother is just as determined to protect her daughter from the same mistakes she made. When Ali falls for a talented young drummer, both mother and daughter must face hard truths about race, defiance, and growing up. Ali feels trapped until the sound of a neighbor playing the piano opens the door to an unexpected friendship and a radically different future.

“Good things take time, and for 13 years, I’ve been dreaming, developing, and finding inspiration for a musical based on my experience growing up in Hell’s Kitchen, NYC,” she said. “Hell’s Kitchen is inspired by my life, but it’s not a biographical story. It’s a story about family relationships and identity: Who are we? Who do we want to be? Who are we becoming?”

Keys notes that her mother moved to New York City from Toledo, Ohio, and studied at New York University, eventually acting on stage in independent films and TV projects. Keys also went into acting before music snatched her away. “Hell’s Kitchen,” in a way, is a full-circle moment for the Keys family.