Hell's Kitchen Reviews

Chicago Tribune - Highly Recommended

"...Diaz clearly was influenced here by Lin-Manuel Miranda's "In the Heights," with Manhattan Plaza basically playing the role of the entire neighborhood of Washington Heights; both are shows about communities and the plots have many similarities, even down to the loss of a godmother. So "Hell's Kitchen" does not reinvent its genre and you should also know that this Equity tour has some minor simplifications of set, not that you are likely to notice."

Chicago Sun Times - Recommended

"..."Hell's Kitchen" is worth the price of a ticket for the music alone. The score is powered by immaculate vocals and ferociously enhanced by choreography by Camille A. Brown that captures the endless moods of Keys' music with power and grace. Directed by Michael Greif and featuring orchestrations by Tom Kitt, Keys' music is on fire."

Daily Herald - Highly Recommended

"...What makes "Hell's Kitchen" gel so well is a smart and self-reflective script by playwright Kristoffer Diaz (a Pulitzer Prize-finalist who first received notice in Chicago's theater scene with acclaimed plays like "The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity" and "Welcome to Arroyo's"). Diaz genuinely captures Ali's determination and sarcastic teenage voice, while only hinting at the eventual musical greatness of Keys."

Chicago Reader - Recommended

"...Incorporating over 20 songs from Keys’s extensive catalog (including “Fallin’,” “No One,” and “Girl on Fire”), Hell’s Kitchen moves through a short period of Ali’s life where she’s figuring out her first love, facing her complicated relationships with both her parents, and developing a lasting love of music, thanks to Miss Liza Jane (the incandescent and majestic Roz White), who hangs out in the building’s Ellington Room playing piano, and begins teaching Ali how to play, and how to stand on her own feet. (The history lessons she provides add depth and poignancy to the story.)"

Stage and Cinema - Highly Recommended

"...Hell's Kitchen, a jukebox musical featuring the music of R&B superstar Alicia Keys (with several new songs) and a book by Kristoffer Diaz, took Broadway by storm in 2024, racking up thirteen Tony nominations. And now, a little over a year later, its first national touring production has arrived in Chicago at the Nederlander Theatre."

Let's Play Theatrical Reviews - Highly Recommended

"...Hell's Kitchen, set within the incredibly diverse and transformative musical rhythms of the '90s, is inspired by the life and music of Alicia Keys. From the book by Kristoffer Diaz, with music and lyrics by Keys, it's one of the plays Chicago theater lovers have been waiting to travel from the concrete jungle where dreams are made of New York to Chicago's James M. Nederlander Theatre."

Around The Town Chicago - Highly Recommended

"...The story is a "coming of Age" type of story, weaving segments of her actual biography with her music, making the pieces fit like a jigsaw puzzle and under the direction of Michael Greif and the engaging choreography of Camille A. Brown, this experience has brought me closer to Keys' music, wanting to explore it even deeper. In the role of Keys is the wonderful Maya Drake, a recent high school graduate ( that's right, HIGH SCHOOL) making her stage debut, and what an unbelievable performance to start her stage career with! WOW! WOW! WOW!"

Chicago Theatre Review - Highly Recommended

"...This exciting National Tour of HELL'S KITCHEN arrives in Chicago for three wonderful weeks, leading up to Thanksgiving. Looking and sounding very much like the original, that's still playing on Broadway, theatergoers who enjoy musicals with a modern look and sound, who enjoy a biographical story and are fans of Alicia Keys will love this show. With a star-turning performance by the incredible young Maya Drake, this is a production that can truly boast A Girl on Fire."

Buzz Center Stage - Highly Recommended

"...The production's physical world is equally alive. Scenic designer Robert Brill constructs a shifting jungle of steel girders and moving balconies that evoke a city in constant motion and perpetual construction. The set rises, retracts, and reconfigures like the city breathing. Lighting designer Natasha Katz amplifies this effect, creating a cityscape that refuses to sleep. Peter Nigrini's projection design layers in close-up neighborhood imagery-street signs, building façades, glimpses of densely packed blocks-giving the illusion of living within a compact, ever-changing metropolis."

The Fourth Walsh - Highly Recommended

"...Seventeen year old Ali lives in Hell's Kitchen. She is being raised by Jersey, a hard-working and protective single mom. It's the 90s and the multi-ethnic neighborhood is home to struggling artists and 'street grit.' Her apartment building and surrounding sidewalks are filled with musicians... trumpet players, opera singers and bucket boys. Although her mom wants her to stay put in their one bedroom apartment, Ali is hell-bent on finding love, adventure and her own voice."

MaraTapp.org - Recommended

"...Hell's Kitchen has a lot in common with Lin-Manuel Miranda's In the Heights, and even has some overlap with the Goodman Theatre's Revolution(s). All are love letters to cities and the joys of urban life but Hell's Kitchen, with its many themes and popular music, may have a wider reach. After all, this is a show with something for everyone, whether it be enjoying a coming-of-age story, learning how to deal with parents and/or teenagers, remembering first love, finding your path and more. The Brilliant Redhead and I agreed that the plot and characters sometimes are simplistic and cliched, though I found some moments, particularly between Ali and her parents and teacher, that are authentic and moving. The Brilliant Redhead pointed out that, ultimately Hell's Kitchen is coherent and well-put together and that its very "simplicity lets the performances really shine.""

Werner's Theatre Reviews - Highly Recommended

"...Even with a few scaled-back production elements compared to the Broadway performance, the Hell’s Kitchen tour proves heart and artistry matter more than spectacle. The cast’s commitment, the choreography’s pulse, and the timeless music of Alicia Keys come together to create a production that is both deeply personal and universally resonant. It’s a show where the audiences leave uplifted, moved, and reminded why live theatre continues to thrive."

BroadwayWorld - Somewhat Recommended

"...HELL’S KITCHEN, the Alicia Keys jukebox musical now making its Chicago premiere as part of the first national tour, has a messy storyline wrapped in slick packaging. While the show is loosely based on Keys’s childhood in Manhattan, the storytelling is generic, and the songs are often awkwardly incorporated into the book. Admittedly, Kristoffer Diaz’s book is weak. It’s a flimsy vehicle for Keys’s song catalog. Huge Alicia Keys fans might enjoy hearing her biggest hits performed by musical theater actors, but the plot around them doesn’t hang together."

NewCity Chicago - Highly Recommended

"...As coming-of-age stories go, "Hell's Kitchen" is in a class by itself. Although Keys has said there are autobiographical elements in "Hell's Kitchen," this is blessedly not "The Alicia Keys Story." We start at seventeen and we end at seventeen. And we go through those life-changing transformative moments that make everything else that follows possible."