One year ago, the lights at the Shubert Theatre flickered on and a beat dropped that hasn’t let up since.
“Hell’s Kitchen,” the Alicia Keys-powered Broadway musical that tells the story of a fiery 17-year-old girl coming into her own, is not just surviving—it’s soaring.
It marked its one-year anniversary this week with a Grammy win, two Tony Awards, a sold-out house, and a sky-high tribute as the Empire State Building blazed in the show’s signature blue and yellow, a glowing ode to a show that has become a cultural force.
Created by 17-time Grammy winner Alicia Keys and inspired by her own teenage years in Manhattan, “Hell’s Kitchen,” officially opened on April 20, 2024. Since then, the production has blazed a trail, pulling in some of the most electric reviews Broadway has seen in a decade.
“Thrilling from beginning to end… a rare must-see,” wrote The New York Times.
Variety called it “a sparkling story with iconic music and absolute powerhouse vocals.”
The Guardian simply called it a marvel.
With a score featuring Keys’ biggest hits — “No One,” “Fallin’,” and “Empire State of Mind”—and brand-new music that’s quickly become fan favorites, the show thrums with heart, rhythm, and grit. The book by Pulitzer Prize finalist Kristoffer Diaz brings Ali’s coming-of-age story to life with sharpness and warmth. The choreography, by four-time Tony nominee Camille A. Brown, floods the stage with movement that feels urgent and alive.
Directed by Michael Greif (“Rent,” “Next to Normal”), “Hell’s Kitchen” stars nine-time Grammy nominee Durrell “Tank” Babbs, Tony winner Kecia Lewis, Jade Milan, Phillip Johnson Richardson, and Jessica Vosk. They lead a vibrant, intergenerational cast that transforms the stage into a world that feels both intimate and epic.
The show’s first year on Broadway has been a landslide of milestones: Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album. Tony Awards for Best Actress and Best Featured Actress in a Musical, Drama League Award for Outstanding Production of a Musical, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle honors. Over $1.2 million donated to Keep A Child Alive, the global nonprofit Keys co-founded. The anthem “Kaleidoscope” commissioned for the 2024 U.S. Open.
“Hell’s Kitchen” isn’t just another jukebox musical. It’s not nostalgia dressed up in sequins. It’s raw. It’s personal. It pulses with honesty. Ali’s story—messy, loud, joyous, and brave—mirrors Keys’ own path growing up in Manhattan Plaza. The show invites you in like a family member, hands you a seat at the table, then blows the roof off the joint.
“Beloved, inspiring songs, powerhouse voices, and choreography that knocks your socks off,” wrote Linda Armstrong of Amsterdam News. “It’s gorgeous to behold.”
This is musical theatre that doesn’t apologize. It sings. It stomps. It celebrates.
And it isn’t going anywhere.