{"id":2432504,"date":"2026-05-26T10:21:56","date_gmt":"2026-05-26T10:21:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2432504"},"modified":"2026-05-26T10:21:56","modified_gmt":"2026-05-26T10:21:56","slug":"alicia-keys-brings-hells-kitchen-to-the-hollywood-pantages-theatre","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/alicia-keys-brings-hells-kitchen-to-the-hollywood-pantages-theatre\/","title":{"rendered":"Alicia Keys brings ‘Hell’s Kitchen’ to the Hollywood Pantages Theatre"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Bringing a piece of New York to Los Angeles doesn\u2019t intimidate Alicia Keys. <\/p>\n

When she created \u201cHell\u2019s Kitchen,\u201d the jukebox musical loosely based on her early life in Manhattan, Keys drew energy from her deep belief in the project. The show opened on Broadway in 2024 and was nominated for 13 Tony Awards, including best musical. It will make its L.A. debut at the Hollywood Pantages Theatre on Wednesday, in a step that Keys welcomes as a natural progression marking its success.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe spent 13 years developing this piece,\u201d Keys said. \u201cI believe in this deeply. I stand behind it. I stand for it.\u201d<\/p>\n

L.A. is the second stop on the musical\u2019s 45-city North American tour. With a book by Kristoffer Diaz and directed by Michael Greif, the show features hits from Keys\u2019 career, along with additional music and lyrics written by Keys and various collaborators for the show. Legendary tennis player and entrepreneur Serena Williams also joined the tour as a producer. Keys called it thrilling to bring another powerful woman onto the team. <\/p>\n

\u201cShe saw the show early, and she was just totally taken. I think she said something like, \u2018Alicia, you made this young thug cry,\u2019\u201d Keys recounted. \u201cShe was so connected to it and felt really, really engaged with it. Obviously, she\u2019s such an incredible businesswoman and visionary. It just felt right.\u201d<\/p>\n

Inspired by Keys\u2019 own childhood growing up in the midtown neighborhood of Hell\u2019s Kitchen, the musical follows 17-year-old Ali searching for freedom, love and expression in 1990s New York City. Between arguments with her overprotective mother, Jersey, Ali finds solace learning to play the piano under the tutelage of Miss Liza Jane, an elderly tenant in the family\u2019s subsidized artist housing. <\/p>\n

Ali becomes romantically entangled with an older boy named Knuck and falls in love with music, but female relationships form the core of the story. Keys hopes the dynamic between Ali, her mother and Miss Liza Jane helps the musical transcend any limitations inherent in its particular urban setting. <\/p>\n

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Maya Drake as Ali in the company of the North American Tour of Alicia Keys\u2019 \u201cHell\u2019s Kitchen,\u201d which stages its L.A. premiere at the Hollywood Pantages Theatre.<\/p>\n

(Marc J Franklin)<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n

\u201cIt was interesting to see that even though the story itself is based in New York City … it is a piece that really becomes timeless, and it doesn\u2019t matter where you live,\u201d Keys said. \u201cYou can understand this story, and that\u2019s why it translated so well into a tour because at the heart of it, it\u2019s really a mother-daughter love story.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHell\u2019s Kitchen\u201d is still a distinctly New York musical. The characters discuss Rudy Giuliani\u2019s controversial stop-and-frisk police policies, and Knuck is part of a sidewalk bucket drumming group. Keys wanted to ensure that the spirit of New York was \u201cbaked into the show.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI just want [the audience] to feel the electricity. I want them to feel that New York energy,\u201d Keys said. \u201cYou feel this grit. You feel this rawness. The show is set in the \u201890s, but … it could be today, tomorrow, yesterday.\u201d<\/p>\n

Like New York, L.A. is a city that Keys said is shaped by \u201ccreative spirits,\u201d and she can\u2019t wait to see how the show is received by a Hollywood crowd. <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m so excited to bring this to the L.A. community for everyone, all these creative minds and spirits who are every day chasing their own dreams and breaking down walls and barriers and looking for ways to connect more deeply,\u201d Keys said. \u201cI\u2019m excited for them to fall in love with it and have a piece of Broadway in their backyard.\u201d<\/p>\n

That piece will arrive via a touring cast consisting of emerging artists and storied talent. Maya Drake makes her first tour debut as Ali; while Kennedy Caughell (Jersey) has three national tours under her belt, including \u201cWicked\u201d and \u201cBeautiful: the Carole King Musical.\u201d Keys finds particular joy in watching new talent breathe life into her characters. <\/p>\n

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\"Dancers <\/picture>\n
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Maya Drake as Ali as part of the company of the North American Tour of Alicia Keys\u2019 \u201cHell\u2019s Kitchen,\u201d which stages its L.A. Premiere at the Hollywood Pantages Theatre.<\/p>\n

(Marc J Franklin)<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n

\u201cWhen you see the tour, you\u2019re seeing young people that are living their dream, and they are so good. I mean, they dance next level. They are singing the whole roof off the entire place,\u201d Keys said. \u201cIt\u2019s magnificent to see the young artists that are blooming and blossoming.\u201d<\/p>\n

The character of Ali is fundamentally shaped by the young artists who play her, Keys said. During the show\u2019s original Broadway run, the actor Maleah Joi Moonwon a Tony for performance at the age of 21. Drake is 19, and even though this tour marks her first major production, Keys called Drake a \u201cpure champion veteran.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou rarely ever get to see a young woman at the helm of such a massive piece and such an important role,\u201d Keys said. \u201cIt\u2019s a monster, beast role, and I think it\u2019s so meaty.\u201d<\/p>\n

When asked about future \u201cHell\u2019s Kitchen\u201d projects \u2014 including a film adaptation \u2014 Keys laughed and said she \u201ccan\u2019t talk too much,\u201d but that the team is exploring various realms of possibility.<\/p>\n

In the meantime, \u201cAlicia Keys: Girl From Hell\u2019s Kitchen\u201d will premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival in June. The documentary will chronicle Keys\u2019 childhood in Hell\u2019s Kitchen, and explore how her neighborhood catalyzed her career and the musical. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt gives you perspective of what the neighborhood of Hell\u2019s Kitchen really was like,\u201d Keys said. \u201cIt also shares the inspiration and the real-life energy behind why the story is so much about dreamers.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHell\u2019s Kitchen\u201d closed on Broadway in February after 23 previews and 767 regular performances \u2014 but for Keys, in many ways, it\u2019s just beginning.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou feel a whole slew of emotions. You\u2019re dancing. You feel triumphant. You\u2019re crying. You\u2019re thinking of your own family…It is just a whole roller coaster of emotions, this show. And I\u2019m excited for [audiences] to feel all of it,\u201d Keys said. \u201cThis has been for sure one of the best experiences of my whole life. I love this process, and I can\u2019t wait to keep doing it.\u201d<\/p>\n

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‘Hell’s Kitchen’<\/p>\n

Where:<\/b> Hollywood Pantages Theatre, 6233 Hollywood Blvd., Los Angeles,<\/p>\n

When: <\/b>7:30 p.m. Tuesdays-Thursdays, 8 p.m. Fridays, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturdays, 1 and 6:30 p.m. Sundays. Ends June 21<\/p>\n

Tickets: <\/b>Start at $57<\/p>\n

Contact:<\/b> BroadwayInHollywood.com <\/u>or Ticketmaster.com<\/u><\/p>\n

Running time:<\/b> 2 hours, 35 minutes<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n

\u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n

\u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.latimes.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Bringing a piece of New York to Los Angeles doesn\u2019t intimidate Alicia Keys. When she created \u201cHell\u2019s Kitchen,\u201d the jukebox musical loosely based on her early life in Manhattan, Keys drew energy from her deep belief in the project. The show opened on Broadway in 2024 and was nominated for 13 Tony Awards, including best […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2432505,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25172],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2432504","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertainment"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Alicia-Keys-brings-Hells-Kitchen-to-the-Hollywood-Pantages-Theatre.com2Fa22Fa32F530d63214ca98214c7750027.jpeg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2432504","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2432504"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2432504\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2432506,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2432504\/revisions\/2432506"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2432505"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2432504"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2432504"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2432504"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}