Hell's Kitchen at Nederlander Theatre in Chicago
Inspired by Keys’ own teenage years in 1990s Manhattan, “Hell’s Kitchen” centers on Ali, a 17-year-old biracial New Yorker growing up in the artist housing complex of Manhattan Plaza in the Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood. She butts heads constantly with her exhausted, fiercely protective single mother Jersey, who is determined to keep her daughter away from the dangers of the streets. Ali’s world expands when she falls for Knuck, a bucket drummer who plays outside their building, and when she discovers a lifeline in Miss Liza Jane, an older pianist who becomes both mentor and surrogate parent in the Ellington Room downstairs. Critics have been struck by how the show uses this story to explore independence, first love, fractured families, race, community, and the way music can turn anger and confusion into something beautiful, all while remaining at heart an intimate mother-daughter love story.Reviewers have also zeroed in on the cast, led by Maya Drake as Ali. Making her professional debut, Drake is onstage almost constantly, delivering what multiple Chicago outlets describe as a star-making turn—mixing wry teenage attitude with a powerhouse voice and agile hip-hop movement that fuels the show’s emotional arc. Kennedy Caughell’s Jersey has been praised for bringing both grit and vulnerability to a mother who is terrified of repeating her own mistakes, while Roz White’s Miss Liza Jane has been singled out as the beating heart of the piece, a tough, no-nonsense teacher whose quiet scenes at the piano end up among the most moving moments of the night. Desmond Sean Ellington’s charismatic Davis, Ali’s musician father, and JonAvery Worrell’s grounded, thoughtful Knuck round out a central ensemble of performances that critics say feel lived-in and deeply human.
Of course, much of the excitement comes from hearing Alicia Keys’ songbook explode to life in a theatre. “Hell’s Kitchen” weaves hits like “Fallin’,” “Girl on Fire,” “You Don’t Know My Name,” “No One,” “Teenage Love Affair,” and “Empire State of Mind” together with new material written specifically for the show, including “Seventeen,” “The River,” and “Kaleidoscope.” Critics across the board have noted how unusually well the score is integrated—familiar songs are rearranged, reorchestrated, and recontextualized so they feel like they were written for these characters and this story, while the new songs slide in seamlessly beside them. Several reviews go so far as to say the vocals alone would justify the ticket price, with the touring company’s singers delivering Keys’ music with precision, power, and warmth.
The staging has earned equally enthusiastic praise. Director Michael Greif, whose credits include “Rent,” “Next to Normal,” and “Dear Evan Hansen,” keeps the show moving at a kinetic pace that still leaves room for quieter emotional beats, while choreographer Camille A. Brown turns the whole stage into a pulsing extension of Keys’ rhythms. Critics describe the choreography as propulsive, inventive, and endlessly varied—sometimes evoking a 90s music video, sometimes channeling social dance, always tethered to character and story. Behind them, Robert Brill’s multi-level steel structure evokes Manhattan fire escapes and high-rise corridors, with Peter Nigrini’s projections and Natasha Katz’s lighting painting a constantly shifting New York skyline, and Dede Ayite’s costumes rooting the story firmly in the fashions and textures of the 1990s. Together, they create a high-tech urban playground that reviewers say makes the Nederlander feel like it has been dropped in the middle of midtown Manhattan.
What’s resonated most with many critics, though, is the emotional charge beneath the spectacle. They point to the way “Hell’s Kitchen” treats its community of neighbors as a kind of extended family, the way Ali’s coming-of-age is tied to learning when to listen as much as when to rebel, and the way the show ultimately honors the sacrifices of mothers who move to the city chasing their own dreams and then pour everything they have into their children. The result, according to a chorus of Chicago reviews and national write-ups, is a musical that feels both crowd-pleasing and heartfelt—a story about growing up, messing up, and finding your own sound that leaves audiences buzzing on the way out.
With “Hell’s Kitchen” playing a limited engagement at the Nederlander Theatre through November 30, 2025, Chicago audiences don’t have long to catch this tour while it’s at full voltage. For musical-theatre fans, Alicia Keys devotees, or anyone looking for a big, emotionally generous night out downtown, the critical consensus is clear: “Hell’s Kitchen” is one of the must-see shows of the season. Check the listing on TheatreInChicago.com and Broadway In Chicago’s site for performance dates and ticket information before this Girl on Fire moves on to its next city.
For performance dates and to purchase tickets, visit our Hell’s Kitchen page on Theatre In Chicago. To see a list of all Broadway shows coming to Chicago, visit our Broadway Shows In Chicago page.