Alicia Keys’ ‘Hell’s Kitchen’ tour makes first Syracuse stop

Alicia Keys’ Broadway musical “Hell’s Kitchen” is coming to Syracuse for the first time. For founding producer Mandy Hackett, the stop is about more than a new city. Her daughter, Miranda, is a freshman at Syracuse University’s College of Visual and Performing Arts.

“It’s just such an amazing way that our worlds are intersecting. True, really special. She feels as connected to the show as I do,” Hackett said.  

“Hell’s Kitchen” is a hit biographical musical about 17-time Grammy Award winner Alicia Keys. The show is inspired by Keys’ life, her music and the New York City neighborhood where she grew up.

The show begins with the main character, Ali, a fiery, upstart teenage girl in New York’s Hell’s Kitchen, and follows her through lessons about life, mentorship, love and purpose.

The musical features many of Keys’ originals like “Unthinkable,” “Girl on Fire,” “If I Ain’t Got You,” and “Empire State of Mind.” She also wrote new works specifically for the show, like “Seventeen,” “Gramercy Park,” “Heartburn,” and more. 

Hackett is one of the original producers on the show. While working at the Public Theater in New York City, she heard whispers of an Alicia Keys original and wanted her team to spearhead the project. When Hackett finally got the call that the script was ready, she and her staff ran through it a few times at the Public and committed to producing it full time in fall 2023.

“I have always been a huge fan of Alicia Keys’ music,” Hackett said. 

An avid Keys fan since her youth, Hackett knew someone who used to work with Keys and who first introduced her to the idea for the musical. Understanding what the show could be, Hackett left her position at the Public to produce “Hell’s Kitchen” full time.

Growing up as a New Yorker, Hackett always knew the theater was her home, and thus her dream was always twofold: work in the theater and eventually getting to work on Broadway. 

“I’ve loved the theater my entire life. My mom loved Broadway, and she took me to see all the Broadway plays and musicals. My dad loved the classics, so he was taking me to see productions of Shakespeare and Chekhov and Ibsen, and all the great, great writers,” Hackett said. 

Hackett says that touring a production like this is completely different from its original Broadway run. The show requires an entirely different cast, completely separate from the one performing on Broadway. 

“[Alicia] has such a clear vision; She really works closely with all the different teams, with this laser-sharp precision, to enable the story and the music to blossom and be able to realize these larger themes of the show,” Hackett said. 

Hackett said Alicia Keys was involved in the entire casting process. She handpicked Roz White herself, who plays Miss Liza Jane, Ali’s teacher and mentor in the show. 

White, who has never been on Broadway, has performed professionally since she was 14. The character she plays reminds her of all of the amazing teachers she’s had over the years. White was inspired to audition after watching Keisha Lewis win the Tony for the exact same role. 

“I had seen Keisha Lewis give her Tony acceptance speech, and to be quite honest, that was the light bulb moment for me. She said the words ‘Don’t give up,’ and so that’s what drew me to the piece,” White said. 

This past September marked the show’s second year of touring. They have 30 cast members alongside another 45 in the crew, who all travel throughout the U.S. The cast and crew usually stay in each city for one to two weeks at a time. White says Broadway has extended itself across the U.S., it’s not just defined by the street anymore.

“I mean, this is Broadway across America and that didn’t exist when I was a kid. It was New York or nothing, and so now Broadway is wherever we take it,” White said. 

The cast also founded a non-profit called The Kaleidoscope Dreams Foundation to allow underprivileged communities and youth to come see the show, engage in professional workshops and ensure equitable opportunities for people to participate in and experience the city’s arts scene. 

Like Keys, Hackett grew up in the city with just a dream. Her daughter, Miranda, is now doing the same thing in Syracuse. 

“Trust your instincts. Listen to your gut. Work really hard. Be the person that everybody can depend on and rely on, and speak your mind,” Hackett said. “Don’t be afraid to take risks, speak up and share your ideas.”