Hell's Kitchen Celebrates Its Broadway Opening With a Spirit of Possibility and Belonging

Hell's Kitchen, the new Broadway musical inspired by multi-Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Alicia Keys' New York upbringing and set to her R&B hits, opened at the Shubert Theatre on April 20. Directed by Michael Greif with a book by Kristoffer Diaz, the show stars Maleah Joi Moon as Ali, Tony nominee Shoshana Bean as Jersey, Tony nominee Brandon Victor Dixon as Davis, Chris Lee as Knuck and Kecia Lewis as Miss Liza Jane. 

"Magic like this does not happen often," Bean said to The Broadway Show on the red carpet. "You're seeing a mother on Broadway like you've never seen before. You're seeing an interracial couple on Broadway. You're seeing a mixed-race child on Broadway. We're doing a lot of exciting thing." 

"It's so corny," added Moon, who makes her Broadway debut with this production. "But the marquee says, 'remember where dreams begin.' And I just keep thinking about how little me would be so proud to know that we made it here."

"Growing up in Hell's Kitchen, there was a lot of darkness," Keys said, celebrating the night alongside her cast and creative team. "But there was also this possibility that I think Broadway represented." Now opening the door to audiences like her younger self who saw Broadway as a far-off place, Keys hopes to spread the word, "You belong here and you're going to love it."