From the very beginning, Christopher Jackson has been a force in theater. The Tony-nominated actor, Grammy winner, and Broadway veteran has left his mark on stage and screen, originating roles in In the Heights and Hamilton, lending his voice to Disney’s Moana, and currently portraying Herbert Wexley in HBO Max’s And Just Like That….
Born in Illinois and raised in a small town where diversity was minimal, Jackson’s journey to becoming a theater icon started with a leap of faith. After moving to New York in the early ’90s, he quickly found his place in the city’s thriving performing arts scene. His Broadway debut came in The Lion King, and he’s since become one of the most respected voices in musical theater.
Now, after an eight-year hiatus from the stage, Jackson is back on Broadway in Hell’s Kitchen, Alicia Keys’ semi-autobiographical musical, which continues to get rave reviews and sellout shows since its debut. But returning to the stage wasn’t easy for Jackson. Unlike originating a role from day one, stepping into an already running show requires a different level of precision and adaptability. “It was both familiar and completely disrupting, disorienting,” he admits. “When the show is already on and it’s moving, you gotta learn the curves a lot steeper.”
Jackson was drawn to Hell’s Kitchen after attending opening night with his then 14-year-old daughter. Watching her connect with the story hit him in a way he didn’t expect.
Learning the choreography, navigating the timing of every scene, and syncing with a cast that has already built its rhythm is challenging. Still, the beauty of theater, for Jackson, is invigorating. “Theater is too hard to not want to do it. No one is stuck in a theater, right? Like, you’ve got to go to work. You’ve got to want to be there, and you’ve got to want to engage. And that’s the superpower of theater.”
Jackson was first drawn to Hell’s Kitchen after attending opening night with his then 14-year-old daughter. Sitting beside her and watching her connect with the story unexpectedly moved him. “I watched her engage with the story… and I thought to myself… I felt like, because of my own personal experience with my father… it was really interesting to me to look at this character and not see Mr. Broken Promises.”
The character of Davis, a talented musician and emotionally complicated father, hit close to home. Jackson had long respected the work of Brandon Victor Dixon, who originated the role, and was already intrigued by the show. But it was the emotional depth of the character that stayed with him. Davis isn’t portrayed as a perfect father. He’s flawed, often overwhelmed by his own struggles, and unsure how to show up for his daughter in the ways she needs.
That nuance resonated with Jackson, who began to reflect on his own journey. “The show really doesn’t push into this idea that we [Black men] somehow don’t know how to do the father thing, right?… My father and I were estranged for the majority of my life. And I didn’t understand this when I was younger, but I didn’t think for a second or understand the amount of strain and pressure that human beings face on every level. And then you add all the nonsense that our world has constantly bombarded the Black man with.”
For him, Davis isn’t a cautionary tale; he’s a mirror, and audiences are showing up to see the reflections. One of the most noticeable shifts Jackson has seen since joining Hell’s Kitchen is the number of Black people in the audience night after night. In fact, he says he’s never seen so many Black folks at a Broadway show in all his years in the business.
“I’ve seen more Black folks at this show than any other show I’ve ever done in my life,” Jackson shares. “This is my 10th Broadway show. I’ve done thousands of performances and I go outside and I see a third of the people at the stage door…Black folks are out. We out here for this thing.”
He says this phenomenon speaks not only to Alicia Keys’ reach and cultural impact, but to a growing hunger in our community to see our stories told, and told with care and nuance. “A story is being told in a way that a really broad amount of folks can get to it…I’ve never seen more Black folks at a Broadway show. I could not be more thrilled.”
There’s something powerful happening in the theater right now. A sense of belonging that hasn’t always been there. Jackson sees it in the faces of the young Black girls at the stage door, in the families traveling from around the world to catch the show, and in the way audiences linger after the curtain drops, not quite ready to leave.
It reminds him of his early days in New York, arriving in 1993, fresh out of high school, encountering cultures and people he had never experienced before, and finding community at every turn. New York taught him to be open and to find connection in unexpected places. That same spirit is alive in Hell’s Kitchen, and in this new wave of theatergoers who see themselves reflected on stage, maybe for the first time.
Check out the full interview below. Christopher Jackson stars in Hell’s Kitchen at The Shubert Theatre through fall 2025. Make sure to get your tickets!
Headshot photo credit: Jenny Anderson
Production photo credit: Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade
