Sunday Sitdown with Willie Geist

Episode Summary: Alicia Keys on Bringing Hell’s Kitchen to Broadway

Date: August 31, 2025
Original Air Date: April 2024
Guest: Alicia Keys

Overview

In this episode, Willie Geist sits down with multi-Grammy winner Alicia Keys at the Shubert Theater in New York to discuss her long-in-the-works Broadway musical, Hell’s Kitchen. Inspired by Alicia’s upbringing in Manhattan Plaza in New York's Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood, the show is a coming-of-age story centered on a 17-year-old girl named Ali and her relationship with her mother. While not directly autobiographical, the musical draws deeply from Alicia’s life experiences, weaving her iconic songs—reimagined for the stage—and newly written numbers into a celebration of family, self-discovery, and New York’s vibrant spirit.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Dream Realized: Hell’s Kitchen Comes to Broadway

Location: [03:24–04:19]

• Alicia reflects on sitting on the Shubert Theater stage:
  • “It's kind of incredible to be up here, to be talking about this show, Hell’s Kitchen, with you in the middle of New York City telling this New York story about Allie, a 17 year old girl who's trying to find her way…” (Alicia Keys, 03:38)
• The show is a dream come true, 13 years in the making. Alicia recalls going to Broadway as a kid with her mother, never imagining her own story would end up here.

2. Mother-Daughter Relationships at the Heart

Location: [04:33–06:41]

• Alicia discusses the rare focus on mother-daughter dynamics in theater:
  • “One of the things...there aren’t many mother-daughter stories. And so telling that story is really dynamic...because those relationships around us are so influential, sometimes they get very rocky, and sometimes it forces you to discover who you want to be.” (Alicia Keys, 04:45)
• The story is both universal and personal, speaking to anyone navigating family relationships and self-identity.

3. From Seed to Stage: The Evolution of Hell’s Kitchen

Location: [06:41–09:57]

• The origins: Inspired by Alicia’s own life growing up in subsidized Manhattan Plaza, surrounded by artists and New York’s energy—particularly in the gritty ’90s.
• “I knew that I wanted to talk about these stories. I wanted to talk about this girl, this time in life...Hell's Kitchen was quite a dark place in the '90s...these themes are what started to circle around and that's what I knew. There was something special there.” (Alicia Keys, 08:12)

4. Artistic Integrity and Creative Collaborators

Location: [09:57–11:31]

• Alicia insists on being deeply involved, curating collaborators like book writer Kristoffer Diaz and director Michael Greif:
  • “This is like, it's so important. I treasure the art. I treasure the art form, all of the art forms that I'm able to be a part of. It's sacred. It's a craft. It requires care and time.” (Alicia Keys, 10:08)
• The blend of “newbie energy” and Broadway veterans makes for a dynamic creative process.

5. Universal Themes Beyond Hell’s Kitchen

Location: [11:31–12:04]

• Willie acknowledges the musical’s broad resonance:
  • “You don't have to have grown up in Hell's Kitchen...there are pieces of this show about different relationships...that are going to hit anybody.” (Willie Geist, 11:38)
• Alicia agrees, affirming that the show is for anyone—no matter where you’re from.

6. Autobiography vs. Universal Story

Location: [13:50–15:14]

• Alicia explains the main character isn't her, but echoes her experiences:
  • “Ally is kind of a little bit more gullible, a little bit more naive even...It's intentionally not autobiographical...It really shows you what it takes to kind of find your way in the world. And that's why it becomes everybody’s story.” (Alicia Keys, 14:09)
• At its core, it’s a love story between a mother and daughter: “No matter what, there is this deep, profound connection that you share.” (Alicia Keys, 15:14)

7. Reimagining Alicia Keys’ Music for the Stage

Location: [16:07–20:16]

• Alicia deconstructs the expectation that this is just an Alicia Keys jukebox show:
  • “They don't want you to come in here and just kind of think you were going to get what you thought you were going to get. You're not musically actually...the songs are arranged and composed that tell the story...even I'm like, why didn’t I ever do this?” (Alicia Keys, 16:07)
• Collaboration with director Michael Greif led to new, sometimes surprising placements of familiar songs.
• “Fallen” is radically transformed and performed by a male character (Brandon Victor Dixon):
  • “When he sings it, no one can believe it...we purposefully created a sonic for it that is quite different from ‘Fallen’, although you recognize it and you can sing along with it...” (Alicia Keys, 18:39)

8. Original Songs and Creative Decisions

Location: [20:16–22:25]

• New songs fill specific story needs, like “Seventeen,” written when Alicia found her prior track “Superwoman” didn’t fit:
  • “...that was when I started to write this song in the show that I would consider my first musical theater song, I think, that I've written—called ‘Seventeen’. It’s one of my favorite songs in the show.” (Alicia Keys, 21:18)

9. Talent and Authentic New York Spirit

Location: [22:25–25:14]

• Top-to-bottom, the cast and creative team bring unmatched energy and authenticity to the stage, many making their Broadway debut.
• Casting focused on capturing a genuine New York energy:
  • “That New York energy is very important, and we're talking about a very specific time...You can't teach it. I can't teach you how to embody it, I can't teach you how to present it. You don't have to be from New York, but you have to have a certain thing.” (Alicia Keys, 24:27)

10. Opening Night: Emotions and Reflections

Location: [27:50–29:54]

• Alicia expresses a sense of steady pride before opening, not nerves:
  • “I don’t feel nerve wracked. I feel quite steady...You can’t rush greatness...When it’s time, it’s time. And I do feel now is the time. And so I feel steady.” (Alicia Keys, 28:11)
• The personal resonance of seeing “Hell’s Kitchen” in lights at the Shubert:
  • “I can't put into words what that feels like. This is crazy. And so I'm thrilled about it because it is such a solid, heartfelt, coming-of-age story, and it works, and I'm so proud of it.” (Alicia Keys, 29:54)

11. Giving Back: Mentorship and Fellowship

Location: [30:27–31:21]

• The Hell’s Kitchen fellowship program aims to open the door for emerging artists, reflecting Alicia’s commitment to supporting new talent.

12. Alicia Keys’ Own Coming-of-Age

Location: [31:21–37:05+]

• Discussion of Alicia’s musical beginnings—starting piano at 7, singing before playing, performing in school plays.
• The discipline of classical training and how it shaped her work ethic and musical style:
  • “I’m grateful for what the piano taught me in regards to dedication and patience and work diligence, the craft of how to become better, how to continue to grow...” (Alicia Keys, 34:22)
• Her early record deal and meteoric debut with “Fallen” and Songs in A Minor—from struggles and fear to trusting her own vision.

13. Identity, Authenticity, and Advice

Location: [37:05–39:56]

• Alicia connects her journey to Ali’s: the pressure to conform and the resilience to stay true to yourself.

  • “People do try to make you who they want you to be...But I found my way through that...and that gave me what I like to think is something different. No one knew what to do with me...” (Alicia Keys, 37:05)

• Final wisdom on trusting your instincts:

  • “You do know who you are...At least it did so because you made that choice. And I think that’s what I've learned, that I can live with that. I can feel great about that, actually, and then I can keep going.” (Alicia Keys, 39:18)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the lack of mother-daughter stories:

  • “There are many father-son stories. There are not many mother-daughter stories. And so telling that story is really dynamic.” (Alicia Keys, 04:45)

• On reshaping familiar songs:

  • “I intentionally wanted to deconstruct the expectation of what you might get from the song.” (Alicia Keys, 16:07)

• Pride in community and family:

  • “The amount of people that say, I called my mom, or the amount of mothers that say, my child, they wrote me this thing after they saw this show...It’s going to bring you together and it’s going to fill you with spirit and love.” (Alicia Keys, 40:22)

Important Timestamps

• 03:24: Onstage at the Shubert Theater, Alicia shares how she feels as the show finally arrives on Broadway.
• 04:45: Discussion about the significance and rarity of mother-daughter stories in theater.
• 08:12: Alicia recounts her upbringing and the real-life inspiration behind the show’s setting.
• 10:08: Insights on the importance of respect for the musical theater art form and picking the right collaborators.
• 16:07: How Alicia reworked her catalog for the show and the creative process behind musical arrangements.
• 18:39: The radical, surprising reinvention of “Fallen” for the stage.
• 21:18: Story behind writing the new song “Seventeen.”
• 24:27: Casting choices that embody the spirit of New York.
• 28:11: Alicia explains her calm excitement and pride in finally bringing Hell’s Kitchen to the stage.
• 31:21: Reflections on how playing piano as a child opened new worlds for Alicia.
• 34:22: The discipline and demands of classical piano and its formative influence.
• 37:05: Parallels between Ali’s journey and Alicia’s own struggle to assert her identity in music.
• 39:18: On trusting yourself and forging your own path, regardless of uncertainty.

Final Thoughts

Willie Geist’s sitdown with Alicia Keys offers an intimate, behind-the-scenes journey through her musical, personal, and creative worlds. Hell’s Kitchen emerges as not only a tribute to Alicia’s beloved New York and her own artistic roots, but as a universal story about family, identity, and the courage to find—and be—yourself. The episode is filled with warmth, laughter, meaningful advice, and a celebration of artistry and community, both on and off stage.