By Alena Bitonti
Staff Writer
Alicia Keys is taking her new musical “Hell’s Kitchen” to New York City this month. The show is set to debut off-Broadway at The Public Theater on Oct. 24.
According to The Public, the coming-of-age musical follows 17-year-old Ali, who is desperate to get her piece of the New York dream. Ali’s mother is determined to protect her daughter from the same mistakes she made.
When Ali falls for a talented young drummer, both mother and daughter face hard truths about race, defiance and growing up. The story is loosely based on Keys’ adolescent years growing up in Hell’s Kitchen, located in Manhattan Plaza just outside of Times Square.
Keys explained to The New York Times that she has been developing the musical for 12 years alongside playwright Kristoffer Diaz. She told the magazine that her ultimate goal is for the show to be “tremendously beloved and really something that comes into the world in a way that is just like a storm, an incredible storm.”
The 15-time Grammy Award-winning singer achieved success in the early 2000s, producing a blend of R&B and soul music. Although Keys is not in the show, “Hell’s Kitchen” features many of her hit songs such as “No One,” “Girl on Fire,” “If I Ain’t Got You” and, most fittingly, “Empire State of Mind.” The singer has even written four new songs for the show and given her existing ones a new sound.
After decades of working under contract, the singer has recently parted ways with RCA Records following the release of her 2021 album “Keys.” Free from any record label constraints, she released her ninth studio album, “Santa Baby,” independently under Alicia Keys Records in 2022.
Keys has been exploring other paths such as hosting the Grammys in 2019 and 2020, earning her an Emmy nomination. Now, “Hell’s Kitchen” will mark Keys’ debut as a musical theater lyricist and composer.
“This is my pride and joy,” she told the Times. “This is a major, major turning point in my journey.”
Under the direction of Broadway veteran Michael Greif, the musical stars up-and-coming actress Maleah Joi Moon as Ali, Shoshana Bean (“Wicked”) as Ali’s mother, and Brandon Victor Dixon (“Hamilton”) as Ali’s estranged father. The show’s choreographer is Camille A. Brown, a three-time Tony Award nominee.
Previews for “Hell’s Kitchen” will begin at The Public Theater in Lower Manhattan on Oct. 24, with an opening night of Nov. 19. The production is set to run until Dec. 10.
