Alicia Keys may be in the south of France … but she’s thinking about South Florida.
That’s because “Hell’s Kitchen,” the chart-topping singer/songwriter’s jukebox musical, is coming to the Broward Center for the Performing Arts in Fort Lauderdale for a March 10-22 run.
“I have some good memories of moments in my life that were unexpected when I was in that side of Florida,” Keys tells the South Florida Sun Sentinel during her stay in Nice on the French Riviera. “And I was super happy because I am really a beach girl. I’m really a water baby. Like I call myself a mermaid. So any place that has water right outside makes me feel really at home.”
She’s also excited for Florida to experience “Hell’s Kitchen,” she says, “because it is just such a special thing. It’s going to go so well with the whole energy and vibe.”
The Great White Way curtain rose on “Hell’s Kitchen” in 2024, following a successful off-Broadway run the year before. The show — which won two performer Tony Awards and the Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album — closed on Broadway at the Shubert Theatre on Sunday, Feb. 22.
As the title spells out, “Hell’s Kitchen” takes place in the Midtown West Manhattan neighborhood and loosely tells the story of Keys’ formative teenage years in the 1990s. The free-spirited ways of the protagonist, Ali, cause friction with her protective mother, Jersey.
The 17-time Grammy Award winner’s songbook is used in the plot, which follows Ali as she grapples with first love, an absent father, the epiphany of music, adventures with besties, police threats, tragedy, finding inspiration and reconciliation. Hits in the show include “You Don’t Know My Name,” “Teenage Love Affair,” “Un-thinkable (I’m Ready),” “Girl on Fire,” “Fallin’,” “If I Ain’t Got You,” “No One,” “Empire State of Mind” and more.
Below, find more about “Hell’s Kitchen” during a Q&A session with Keys that has been edited for length and clarity.
Q: What made Serena Williams — who is a South Floridian with a home in Jupiter — sign on as a producer of the national tour?
A: Well, Serena is not only my sister but just a brilliant mind, such an awesome, brilliant human, so unstoppable in every way. She came to see the show in New York on Broadway, and we just sat there for hours talking about how it made her feel. And she was like, “Alicia, you made me cry. Like this whole thing, just this whole musical made me cry, feel so deeply.” We were talking about her experiences growing up and people who have mentored her in her life that have, you know, really made an impact and she was really moved. … I just knew that she really felt it on a deep cellular level. When it was time to go on tour, I just felt like she’d be the perfect person to come on the journey. And she was really excited to do it and so proud of it.
Marc J. Franklin
Maya Drake and the company of the North American tour of Alicia Keys’ “Hell’s Kitchen.” (Marc J. Franklin/Courtesy)
Q: Are there any changes from the Broadway run to the national tour version coming to South Florida?
A: No, It definitely honors the story and it honors what it’s meant to be. I’m big on that, because you want to see the show … wherever you are, you’re going to Broadway. That is the power of it. There’s one small change that does happen, but I can’t tell you. You have to go to the show and you will know when it happens. You’ll understand when the time comes. You will know.
Q: If you could whisper something in the ear of every person walking into a “Hell’s Kitchen” performance, what would it be?
A: I would just tell them to come and put down your coat, put down your bag, put down the baggage you carry, put down all those heavy things that we hold on our shoulders, put it all down. You don’t need it in here. Here, you get to just completely be free. You get to laugh. You get to sing. You get to experience this beautiful piece of art and you get to just let it all go. Just sit and take these two hours and enjoy the moment. You’re going to love it.
Q: Wait, you wouldn’t tell them to please not sing along with the show really loudly?
A: No, I would say, “And make sure that you sing at the top of your lungs every single song as loud as you can.” It’s so funny because I did this one television show and we were talking about how there are these debates about whether in a musical you’re supposed to be quiet or you’re supposed to sing. And some people are so frustrated when someone’s singing and other people are like, “No, that’s the point.” I am of the latter. I believe you’re supposed to go in and sing and have a great time. I think that’s what makes it so much fun, you know what I mean?
Marc J. Franklin
Alicia Keys’ Broadway jukebox musical “Hell’s Kitchen” will run from March 10-22 at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts in Fort Lauderdale. (Marc J. Franklin/Courtesy)
Q: What can you tell us about the cast on this national tour?
A: This touring cast is monumental like you can’t believe it. You can’t believe how talented they are. You can’t believe how powerful they are. Maya Drake, who’s our Ali, is just 18. She’s literally embodying this character, like nothing I’ve ever seen. So, it is so electrifying. And this cast is so, so, so good and there’s real love between them and you can feel it emanating from the stage.
Q: Was doing Broadway arrangements of your songbook tricky?
A: It was actually so much fun. And it’s one of my favorite things about the show as well, that you get to experience the songs in a really whole new way … a whole new interpretation. A whole new experience. These arrangements are stunning.
There’s also new songs that you’ve never heard that were written specifically for the show, which is so fun because I, you know, I’d not quite written this kind of theater before. So I was able to explore a different muscle, a different way of songwriting, and really be able to bring out the musical character of this show. I think that’s what the songs really do: They are a character in themselves, they are a storyteller in themselves, and you really understand how the story progresses through the music. So, it’s a really special way to do it. It was done very intentionally. It really does ignite your experience as you’re there. …
The songs take on a whole new meaning. One of the themes of the show … ultimately at the heart of it is this mother/daughter love story. And so now it’s like they mean something completely different to me when I listen to them or when I’m watching it.
It really was a lot of fun working with our director Michael Greif, our book writer Kristoffer Diaz, our music supervisor and co-orchestrator Adam Blackstone … and to really reimagine what does it mean in this moment, in this context, and to take it to these new levels. People start screaming because they never imagine hearing it in the way that you end up hearing it. That’s one of my favorite parts about the show. So, actually it wasn’t hard. It was thrilling.
Hell’s Kitchen
During rehearsals, Alicia Keys receives a special gift from the cast of the North American tour of “Hell’s Kitchen.” (Hell’s Kitchen/Courtesy)
Q: You started working on what would become “Hell’s Kitchen” back in 2011, before the show first hit the stage in 2023, so what resonates as strongly today as it did over that development and eventual debut?
A: I think that what is so powerful about the story of “Hell’s Kitchen,” and what really makes me so proud, is that it’s a family generational story that crosses all boundaries and you really see the reflection of one of my favorite things about New York City — the reflection of all of the different kinds of people that have come from all over the world, the globe. And you really see them in New York City, and it’s one of the most diverse and exciting places. So you really feel that in the storyline and you really get a sense of the New York that I grew up in.
Q: What do you think audience members will relate to?
A: You really feel like you just see so many different characters, different people, different backgrounds, different energies … and they all become this beautiful community. They’re all there to really lift up this young woman, Ali, who is really looking for herself, looking for inspiration, looking for who she’s meant to be. And I think that really reflects all of us.
We’re all looking for who we are, who we’re becoming, we’re looking for our dreams and how we can find them and reach them at any age … it’s tricky and it’s difficult and you got to find your way through it. But ultimately you see that you make your way through. So I love, love that.
Marc J. Franklin
Maya Drake as Ali and Kennedy Caughell as Jersey in the Broadway national tour of “Hell’s Kitchen.” (Marc J. Franklin/Courtesy)
Q: Anything else you want to say to your SoFlo fans about “Hell’s Kitchen”?
A: I just want to say that this show is for everybody. And that’s what I love so much about it … whoever you are, wherever you are, you belong in these seats to bear witness to this show. It’s going to change you. It’s going to uplift you. It’s going to connect you with yourself and your emotions. It is going to wow you. I promise you that you’re going to want to come back with five other people every time, and I encourage you to do so because it’s such a beautiful thing to share with your family, your loved ones. You can bring your kids … all the way up to your grandparents … everyone belongs here and you’re going to love it. And truly, I’m so proud of that. So I’m very excited to bring a little piece of New York to South Florida.
“Hell’s Kitchen” runs from March 10-22 in the Au-Rene Theater at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts, 201 SW Fifth Ave., Fort Lauderdale. Tickets range in price from $60.48 to $243.38. Visit browardcenter.org or call 954-462-0222.
Hell’s Kitchen
Alicia Keys and the Broadway national tour cast of “Hell’s Kitchen,” which comes to Fort Lauderdale in March. (Hell’s Kitchen/Courtesy)