Keys on Stage
“When Ali falls for a talented young drummer, both mother and daughter must face hard truths about race, defiance, and growing up,” reads a synopsis of the musical
Alicia Keys serves as the inspiration for a new musical, Hell’s Kitchen. On Thursday, Keys announced that a musical loosely based on her life and featuring her hits will open at New York’s Public Theater later this year on Nov. 19.
The show will tackle “societal issues facing young people about identity, belonging, and finding yourself,” along with navigating life and love. It’ll follow 17-year-old Ali in a “cramped apartment” off Times Square as she strives toward the New York dream. “When Ali falls for a talented young drummer, both mother and daughter must face hard truths about race, defiance, and growing up,” a synopsis reads. “Ali feels trapped, until the sound of a neighbor playing piano opens the door to an unexpected friendship and a radically different future.”
The production — written by playwright Kristoffer Diaz — will feature choreography by Camille A. Brown and direction by Michael Greif, who previously directed Rent, Next to Normal, and Dear Evan Hansen. Previews will begin on Oct. 24, and the play will run through Dec 10.
The principal castmembers are Maleah Joi Moon, Shoshana Bean, Chris Lee, Kecia Lewis, and Brandon Victor Dixon.
This isn’t Keys’ first theater endeavor, as she composed original music for 2011’s Stick Fly.
