Initial casting has been revealed for the forthcoming national tour of Broadway's Hell's Kitchen, which will launch October 10-November 1 from Cleveland's Playhouse Square. The tour will visit more than 30 cities in its first year.
Leading the cast will be Maya Drake, making her tour debut as Ali; Kennedy Caughell as Jersey; and Roz White as Miss Liza Jane. Additional principals and full ensemble casting will be announced at a later date.
A recent high school graduate, San Jose, California, native Drake trained at the Children’s Musical Theater San Jose. She received the Frank Frye Award for Singing from CMTSJ in 2024, as well as the Brian Alfred King Award for Acting in 2023. On screen, she guest starred on NBC’s Law & Order: SVU.
Caughell played Carole King in the national tour of Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, Elphaba in Wicked, and Elsa in Frozen. Her Broadway credits include Paradise Square, Beautiful, and Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812.
White spent two years as Zelma Bullock in the national tour of Tina—The Tina Turner Musical. Other theatre credits include the Broadway and national touring productions of Dreamgirls, and regional stagings of Once On This Island, Ain’t Misbehavin’, Seven Guitars, Violet, Anne and Emmett, The Amen Corner, and her self-penned cabarets Pearl Bailey by Request and Roberta’s First Take.
Tickets are on sale for the Cleveland premiere at PlayhouseSquare.org. For additional tour cities and ticket information, visit HellsKitchen.com.
The musical—which features music and lyrics by Alicia Keys and a book by Kristoffer Diaz, inspired by the 15-time Grammy winner's life—was a 2024 Tony Award nominee for Best Musical, opening April 20 at the Shubert Theatre, where it continues today. The story follows 17-year-old Ali and her mother, sharing a cramped apartment near Times Square. Ali wants to live out her NYC dream, but Mom is scared her daughter will repeat her own mistakes.
“Seeing Hell's Kitchen on a Broadway marquee has fulfilled one of my earliest and most influential dreams as an artist and a New Yorker,” said Keys in an earlier statement. “I’m overjoyed by the impact it has already had with audiences that truly mirror the world around us in New York, and I am ecstatic that we can bring the show to so many incredible cities across the country. Let’s gooooo!!!!!“
Get a sneak peek at the touring company in the gallery below.
Maya Drake in Hell's Kitchen
Kennedy Caughell and Maya Drake in Hell's Kitchen
Maya Drake in Hell's Kitchen
Kennedy Caughell and Maya Drake in Hell's Kitchen
READ: Camille A. Brown Is Bringing '90s New York Back to Broadway in Hell's Kitchen
The full Broadway creative team, led by director Michael Greif and choreographer Camille A. Brown, will reprise their work on the national tour. The music team includes orchestrators Adam Blackstone and Tom Kitt with arrangements by Keys and Blackstone. The creative team also includes scenic designer Robert Brill, costume designer Dede Ayite, lighting designer Natasha Katz, sound designer Gareth Owen, projection designer Peter Nigrini, hair and wig designer Mia Neal, and makeup designer Michael Clifton. Casting is by Heidi Griffiths and Kate Murray, with Foresight Theatrical serving as general manager.
AKW Productions leads the Hell's Kitchen producing team.
Visit HellsKitchen.com.
