Songs in a New Key
Maya Drake adds a fresh note to her lead role in Alicia Keys’ powerhouse Broadway musical
by Jennifer oladipo
STEPPING INTO AN ACTING ROLE TO SING SONGS THE WORLD KNOWS BY HEARt is a leap. Actor Maya Drake, 18, who has cut her teeth on regional theater productions such as Wizard of Oz and Les Misérables, navigates the electrified space between homage and reinvention as she makes her Broadway touring debut in Hell’s Kitchen, a musical built from the catalogue of R&B icon Alicia Keys. In it, Drake plays Ali, a spirited 17-year-old caught between family and freedom, shaped by her mentor and her community in the Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood of Manhattan.
Drake, who is touring with Hell’s Kitchen throughout the Southeast this winter, shares with Vessel about collaborating with a superstar and the realities of portraying a girl on the cusp of everything, while standing at just such a threshold herself.
Making her transition from regional theater, Bay Area actor Maya Drake brings a fresh voice to the role of Ali in the Broadway production of Hell’s Kitchen; photograph by Marc J. Franklin.
How has the tour experience matched or differed from what you expected?
Maya drake: When I was younger, I only thought of how fun performing would be. The hard work of it wasn’t unexpected, but when you’re a younger kid and fantasizing, you don’t think about how tired you’re going to be. Now I understand how much work an eight-show week is, with long rehearsals, especially tech week and previews. But it’s been so much fun learning how to balance the fun I’m having with the work I’m putting in.
Not being the first person in the role, what are you bringing to it that feels like Maya?
MD: I’ve brought in aspects of my personality, especially in the comedic parts. I tend to react how I would personally in the situation. I also look for ways to relate that to my own life to bring out my own true emotion more. I try to stay present and give my true reaction in the moment instead of planning how I might react to a line.
An energetic number in Hell’s Kitchen, a musical built from the catalogue of R&B icon Alicia Keys; photograph by Marc J. Franklin.
What are some moments when the audience will get to experience that?
MD: There are so many moments where I get to literally just have fun. In moments like that, sometimes I even just feel like myself, not even in the character. A really special moment is the opening number when Ali is with all the people that live on her block. I grew up doing community theater and have been around the same group of people for years now. So, those moments that I share with the cast, when we’re all together, it feels very special because I’m so used to being lifted up by the same people every day. That’s what I get to do with these people, too.
Many of the songs are Alicia Keys classics that have been well known for decades now. How do you own those?
MD: I try to honor her and give the foundation of the song, but also add my own vocal touches. The more I sing a song, something new will come up, or a note that I didn’t think of before. I’ve gotten feedback from Alicia like, ‘I like that part’ or ‘Let’s try this.’ Having her input and then bringing my addition to it has been a really great process of figuring out these reimagined songs. I’m so grateful for that opportunity. She’s this international star, and the fact that I get to have worked so closely with somebody like that [has been] crazy. V
Catch Maya Drake in Hell’s Kitchen January 6–11 at Atlanta’s Fox Theatre and February 10–15 at the Peace Center in Greenville, SC, along with other cities this winter. For more information, go to hellskitchen.com.
This story appears in our Winter 2026 Issue.
