Hell’s Kitchen, the Alicia Keys musical currently play a sold-out run Off Broadway, will transfer to Broadway’s Shubert Theater this spring, producers announced today.
Directed by Michael Greif, Hell’s Kitchen will begin previews at the Shubert on Thursday, March 28, 2024 ahead of an opening night on Saturday, April 20. The musical features music and lyrics by Keys and a book by Kristoffer Diaz, and includes such Keys hits as “You Don’t Know My Name,” “Fallin’,” “If I Ain’t Got You,” “No One” and “Empire State of Mind,” among others.
Casting will be announced shortly. The critically lauded Off Broadway cast features Maleah Joi Moon as the Keys-inspired character Ali, and Shoshana Bean as her mother Jersey.
“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,” Keys said in a statement, adding, “I’m honored to be a part of this Broadway season with so much incredible talent and great stories. I grew up with musical theater and have so many memories of standing on line at TKTS to see shows like Miss Saigon and Rent. For me, Hell’s Kitchen is also a New York story of finding your dreams and for me, this musical coming to Broadway is the embodiment of that idea.”
Oskar Eustis, Public Theater Artistic Director, called Hell’s Kitchen “an extraordinary show,” adding, “we are thrilled to have it arriving at the Shubert Theater, where A Chorus Line ran for 16 glorious years after transferring from The Public in 1975.”
“Like that legendary show,” he continued, “Hell’s Kitchen is a quintessentially New York story. Our audiences have ecstatically connected with the musical, seeing themselves and their own lives in the story of a extraordinary 17-year-old girl growing up and discovering her place in the world.” He said Hell’s Kitchen is “just what we are hungry for: a reason to feel optimistic about the world, a reminder of why we love New York City, a celebration of how art and love can overcome any barrier. It’s an amazing theatrical debut for one of the world’s greatest songwriters- it is going to touch millions of people.”
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 piano opens the door to an unexpected friendship and a radically different future.
Hell’s Kitchen, Keys said, “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? The score features new songs that I’m really excited to get out into the world alongside many of my album releases that you know but you’ve never heard like this – rearranged and reinterpreted.”
The show’s creative team also includes Adam Blackstone (music supervision), Tom Kitt (music consulting), Camille A. Brown (choreography), Robert Brill (scenic design), Dede Ayite (costume design), Natasha Katz (lighting design), Gareth Owen (sound design), Peter Nigrini (projection design), and Mia Neal (hair and wig design).
Hell’s Kitchen on Broadway is produced by AKW Productions, which made the announcement today. Aaron Lustbader will serve as Executive Producer.
The musical made its world premiere at the Public on October 24 and continues its Off Broadway run through January 14. In addition to Moon and Bean, the Off Broadway cast includes Chad Carstarphen, Reid Clarke, Chloe Davis, Nico DeJesus, Brandon Victor Dixon, Timothy L. Edwards, Desmond Sean Ellington, Badia Farha, Vanessa Ferguson, David Guzman, Crystal Monee Hall, Gianna Harris, Jakeim Hart, Chris Lee, Jackie Leon, Kecia Lewis, Raechelle Manalo, Jade Milan, Maleah Joi Moon, Onyxx Noel, Susan Oliveras, Sarah Parker, Aaron Nicholas Patterson, William Roberson, Niki Saludez, Mariand Torres, Donna Vivino, Lamont Walker II and Oscar Whitney Jr.
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Source: DLine
