Alicia Keys’ hit Broadway musical Hell’s Kitchen runs at the Hollywood Pantages Theatre through June 21, 2026. The semi-autobiographical coming-of-age story set in 1990s New York features new music and greatest hits from Keys and is currently making its Los Angeles debut.
Alicia Keys’ Hell’s Kitchen
Hell’s Kitchen is a coming-of-age Broadway musical loosely inspired by Alicia Keys’ youth. It follows 17-year-old Ali as she navigates New York City, defies her overprotective mother, and discovers the power of love and music under the mentorship of an inspiring piano teacher.
Hell’s Kitchen is a jukebox musical built on the music and lyrics of Alicia Keys, with a semi-autobiographical plot about her upbringing in Manhattan in the 1990s.[1][2] The musical, with a book by Kristoffer Diaz, initially ran at The Public Theater in October 2023,[3][4] having its Broadway debut at the Shubert Theatre on April 20, 2024, followed by a cast recording on June 7, 2024.
The original Off-Broadway and Broadway productions received positive reviews by theatre critics, considering the musical among the best examples of the jukebox musical, while Maleah Joi Moon, Shoshana Bean, and Kecia Lewis were praised for their acting and vocal performances. The productions received nominations and won at the Lucille Lortel Awards, Drama Desk Awards, Drama League Awards, and Grammy Awards. At the 77th Tony the Broadway production garnered 13 nominations, winning Best Leading Actress and Best Featured Actress.[5][6][7]
Development
In 2011, Alicia Keys was involved as one of the producers and music composer of the Broadway play Stick Fly by Lydia R. Diamond.[8] Although it was critically acclaimed, the play closed due to financial failures in the box office at the Cort Theatre after 24 preview performances and 92 regular performances.[9] In a 2023 interview for Ebony, Keys explained that she was inspired by its “story about a Black family in Martha’s Vineyard” and that at that time “there was less diversity in so many ways, particularly in film and television, and definitely in theater”.[10]
Production history
Keys, Greif, Blackstone and Brown at the show’s one-year celebration in 2025.
Off-Broadway (2023)
Keys began developing the play in 2011, and that year Diaz was attached to the project. In 2018, Greif was appointed as the musical’s director. By February 2023, the main roles were cast, and casting call for remaining roles was released on February 6 and auditions were held on February 17, 2023, at Actors’ Equity New York Audition Center.
In June 2023, Keys announced she had written her first jukebox musical, Hell’s Kitchen, inspired by her own life and career in New York City. According to Keys, the musical is a “love story between a mother and a daughter”, and in an interview on Good Morning America, she stated that the play describes “the experience of growing up in New York City, really chasing a dream, trying to find who you are, discovering your identity, and really following your heart, ultimately”.[18] Tickets went on sale in August 2023. The production was originally set to run from October 24 to December 10, 2023, but on September 12, a two-week extension to December 23 was announced. In October 2023, another two-week extension to January 7 was announced. The play featured some of Keys’ best-known songs, as well as new music written by Keys specifically for the play. The musical began previews on October 24, 2023, at The Public Theater with an opening night of November 19.
Broadway (2024–2026)
On December 4, 2023, Keys announced that the production would transfer to the Shubert Theatre on Broadway. The show began previews on March 28, 2024, with an opening night scheduled for April 20, 2024. Casting was announced on February 7, 2024. Further casting was announced on February 26, 2024, with Rema Webb joining the cast as Crystal, Nyseli Vega as Millie, and Takia “Tiki” Hopson joining the ensemble. The rest of the cast was the same as the Public’s run, with production and design workers transferring as well.[26] On March 22, 2024, Keys performed the song “Kaleidoscope” with the musical’s lead actress Maleah Joi Moon and the cast on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. The production closed on February 22, 2026 after 23 previews and 767 regular performances.
North American Tour (2025)
A touring production of the musical began at Playhouse Square in Cleveland, Ohio on October 10, 2025. It is scheduled to tour 30 cities in its first year. Tennis player, Serena Williams joined the producing team for the national tour.[29]
South Korea production (2026)
In April 2026, South Korea‘s musical and performance production company S&Co annunced that the musical would premiere at the GS Art Center in Gangnam District of Seoul on July 24, 2026, with last show on November 8, 2026.[30][31]
The Story
Set in the 1990s in Manhattan Plaza (an artist-subsidized building in the Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood), the plot centers on a vibrant, rebellious 17-year-old girl named Ali. Her world revolves around a few core dynamics:
Mother & Daughter: Ali lives with her fiercely protective, overworked single mother, Jersey. Jersey struggles to allow Ali independence—partly due to her own past—causing a rift between them.
First Love: Ali falls for Knuck, an older man and local street/bucket drummer. Jersey heavily opposes this relationship, seeing echoes of her own disastrous past with an unreliable musician.
The Power of Piano: Seeking an outlet for her teenage angst and rage, Ali meets Miss Liza Jane, an older neighbor and no-nonsense piano teacher. Through Miss Liza Jane, Ali learns how to channel her emotions into playing the piano.
Community & Growing Up: Ali witnesses’ racial injustice in the city firsthand when Knuck and his friends are harassed by police. She must navigate family trauma, loss, and the sudden re-emergence of her estranged father.
Through heartbreak and reconciliation, Ali ultimately finds her identity, pursues her musical dreams, and reaches a fragile understanding with her mother. The story is set to a score of Alicia Keys’ greatest hits like “If I Ain’t Got You” and “Empire State of Mind,” alongside entirely new tracks.
Behind the Show
Creator: 16-time Grammy Award winner Alicia Keys.
Book: Pulitzer Prize finalist Kristoffer Diaz.
Director: Four-time Tony Award nominee Michael Greif.
Choreography: Tony Award nominee Camille A. Brown
Also we were so lucky because Alicia came to the curtain call, amazing!
May 26 – June 21, 2026
Hollywood Pantages Theatre
6233 Hollywood Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90028
Tuesdays–Thursdays at 7:30 PM, Fridays at 8:00 PM, Saturdays at 2:00 PM and 8:00 PM, and Sundays at 1:00 PM and 6:30 PM2 hours and 35 minutes (includes one intermission)
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