Alicia Keys Has Become ‘Family’ With Collaborators on Her New Musical, Says Composer Tom Kitt (Exclusive)

Alicia Keys' original musical Hell's Kitchen is no easy feat, even for Pulitzer-Prize winning songwriter Tom Kitt.

The Broadway composer — who provides orchestrations and is music consulting on the project, which begins performances Oct. 24 at Off-Broadway's Public Theater — revealed to The Messenger that while collaborating with the Grammy-winning singer on her new musical is "a dream come true," it's also rather intense. 

"Of course, it's intimidating," Kitt shared with The Messenger on the red carpet at the New York Stem Cell Foundation (NYSCF) Gala & Science Fair in New York City last week. 

"As you can imagine, anytime there's somebody that you have listened to their albums and seen them performing, and you dream that sometime you'll be in orbit with them, and to suddenly see them in the room... But [Keys] is so collaborative, you can just tell she's made this family with all of the artists who are working on this material. I feel very lucky to be there."

Kitt praised the "glorious group of artists who are bringing [the story] to life," including musician Adam Blackstone (music supervision and orchestrations), director Michael Greif (Rent), choreographer Camille A. Brown (for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf) and playwright Kristoffer Diaz. 

Hell's Kitchen star Shoshana Bean plays the mother of lead character Ali, whose life is loosely based on Keys' upbringing. The Broadway actress previously spoke to The Messenger and described the musical, which has a score combining original music and some of Keys' most famous hits, as "a mother-daughter slash New York love story."

Songwriter Kitt also exclusively revealed to The Messenger that he is simultaneously working on other projects, including scoring an original musical with Airplane! director Jerry Zucker and bringing new life to the stage adaptation of Almost Famous alongside filmmaker Cameron Crowe (the musical was short-lived on Broadway, but gained a dedicated fanbase). 

Hell's Kitchen makes its world premiere at Off-Broadway's Public Theater on Oct. 24 and is set to run through Jan. 7, 2024.