Connect Your Soul with HELL’S KITCHEN on Broadway

NEW YORK CITY —  Hell’s Kitchen, the new Broadway musical featuring the music of Alicia Keys, weaves a story of family, love, and the transformative power of music. With music and lyrics by Keys and a book by Kristoffer Diaz, the show follows Ali, played by Amanda Reid, who is loosely based on Keys’ own experiences going through adolescence in the Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood of Manhattan in the 1990s. 

This show will travel to Salt Lake this season as part of the Broadway at the Eccles, so I was thrilled to be able to experience it on my trip to Manhattan and preview what Utah audiences will experience summer 2026. What I did not expect was to experience the beauty of therapeutic healing of storytelling through the story of Ali and her mom Jersey, played masterfully by Jessica Vosk, coupled with the joy of connecting soul to music. From the opening scene to the closing note, this was a transcendent evening that reminded me that art is healing and healing is an art. 

Hell’s Kitchen has a continuing run on Broadway. | Photos: Marc J. Franklin

Directed by Michael Greif, the opening monologue was a flawless and unmatched introduction. Ali explains her life in an apartment complex, the Manhattan Plaza, in the Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood of NYC as she is riding up the elevator to her apartment. The lighting design, music, and her eloquently delivered speech opened my eyes to what a unique, interesting and joyful experience it would be to live in a building of performing artists. This directing thread showed up again in the number “Kaleidoscope” as Ali discovers a love of piano playing on a deep, soul level. Her piano teacher, Miss Liza Jane, played by Angela Birchett, continues this thread by encouraging her love and talent, especially as she reminds Ali of the power and joy music brings as well as the heritage we carry as musicians in the song “Authors of Forever.” 

The show had some truly thrilling climatic elements where the music, lighting design by Natasha Katz, choreography by Camille A. Brown, set design by Robert Brill and projection design by Peter Nigrini all combine to make a spectacle that makes coming to the theatre a spiritual experience. Key’s song “Girl on Fire” is so recognizable that one would expect some pomp and circumstance, but the dynamics throughout the rest of the show made the value of this song much more resonant. This was shown even more with the ending of the whole show, “Empire State of Mind”. I am not sure there is anyone who loves New York more than me, and having just seen a full range of emotions within the show, to then see a full love letter to my favorite city as well as a love letter to family, music, and theatre, the finale was truly on fire.

Birchett was an understudy in the role, and was iconic in her performance. Showing the importance of nurturing talent and recognizing passion in young people resonates deeply in me, and understanding the truly difficult task of stepping into the role as an understudy and still being able to touch the hearts of the audience on a visceral level is not lost on me.

Christopher Jackson as Davis was charming and slimy, which was exactly how his character was supposed to be. As self-proclaimed president of the Chris Jackson fan-club, I can say that his acting skills are on par because I did not like his character (which you are not supposed to at first) and that is very hard for me to not like everything about Jackson. 

Hell’s Kitchen has a continuing run on Broadway. | Photos: Marc J. Franklin

Vosk’s performance as Jersey was a healing masterpiece. It was cathartic to watch her as a single mom trying to protect, support, and still allow a teenager to shine. A single mom of a daughter is a uniquely hard character that I understand a little too well. My show going companion had to hold on to my arm a few times as I sobbed during Vosk’s deeply moving performance, and I almost lept to my feet during her power ballad “Pawn it All” with a bit of jealousy that I have not been able to sing such things to such people with power. 

The beauty and sorrow of “Hallelujah/Like Water” shows the importance of community and Vosk and Reid singing “No One” left me a puddle of emotions thinking of my own daughters and our connection. Which is why art is healing and healing is an art. I cannot wait for this story to be brought to my community this next summer.