NEW YORK — NEW YORK (AP) — Alicia Keys a semi-autobiographical coming-of-age Broadway musical about growing up and leaving the nest. And like any happy parent, Keys gets to visit him from time to time.
new “Hell's Kitchen” the cast gathered in Cleveland for national tour it will take them to the South, Midwest and West in a 28-city parade through 2026.
“It's so exciting to know that the movie is going to be broadcast nationwide, and this cast, let me tell you, is out of control. They're so good,” Keys says. “Obviously, not everyone can go to New York. Not everyone can go to Broadway.”
Those who catch the musical along the way can also get an extra treat. Keys says she may appear at some stops as the fairy godmother as she crosses the country.
“As an artist, I like to pass on my energy to other artists. It's a really fulfilling feeling. So I'll be the fairy godmother. You never know where you'll see me.”
“Hell's Kitchen” follows a 17-year-old pianist from New York who is inspired by Keys songs like “Fall” “No One”, “Girl on Fire”, “If I Ain't Got You”, and several new songs, including “Kaleidoscope.”
The story centers on a young woman named Ali, who, like Keys, is the daughter of a white mother and a black father and grows up in a subsidized housing project near Times Square, in a once-gritty neighborhood called Hell's Kitchen. She learns to hone her musical skills, falls in love and comes to terms with her sometimes overbearing mother.
Keys hopes audiences will come for her music, story and diverse cast: “It's really exciting to be able to go somewhere and see yourself on stage or see your experience play out.”
Ali on Tour is 18-year-old Maya Drake, a recent high school graduate from San Jose, California, who went through a long and rigorous audition process. She was a Keys fan even before the musical came onto her radar.
“The fact that I'm going to be on a show with someone else's music and, of all people, it's going to be her—I'm so lucky,” Drake says. “It’s just that connection is so special that it makes the show 10 times more enjoyable.”
As part of her audition, Drake traveled to New York to see Hell's Kitchen on Broadway starring Jade Milan as Ali. “It's so much to see for the first time, and she never leaves the stage,” says Drake, who remembers thinking, “To be a part of something that big would be crazy.”
After the tour lineup was announced, the cast was invited to the Shubert Theater stage to cheer on the show, and Drake got to meet and talk with veterans like Jessica Vosk and Keko's Lewiswho won a Tony Award for the show.
“It was a really special moment,” she says. “Sharing tips and getting information from people who are currently doing the show helped us understand what you're going to do and some things that might help.”
The tour coincides with the publication “Hell's Kitchen: Chasing the Dream.” a photo-heavy book that charts the show's 13-year evolution, from the show's creation with book author Chris Diaz and director Michael Greif to its final stage with costumes, casting, choreography and production design.
After Cleveland, the tour will travel to Pittsburgh, Chicago, Detroit, New Orleans, Atlanta, Cincinnati, Denver, Oklahoma City, Los Angeles, Salt Lake City, Las Vegas, San Diego and other cities.
Drake is naturally looking forward to the show heading to California, especially San Francisco, the closest stop for friends and family from San Jose. She's also excited to be on the road.
“I haven't really traveled most of my life, which is kind of ironic because I get to travel a lot,” says Drake, who trained at San Jose Children's Musical Theater. “I’m definitely excited to go everywhere.”
Keys, who watched the show, won two Tony Awards and a 2025 Grammy for Best Musical Theater Album, believes a musical about her old New York City neighborhood could thrive away from the Big Apple.
“Of course, this story is inspired by my experience growing up in New York. And yes, it is a New York story, 1000%. However, the thing is that this story is truly timeless,” she says. “It's such an emotional, honest, heartfelt and authentic story that it doesn't matter whether it takes place in Cleveland, Detroit, Manhattan or Atlanta.”
