‘Hell’s Kitchen’ musical star Kecia Lewis requests apology from Patti LuPone

Patti LuPone is known for taking no guff when she’s onstage in the theater, but the Tony-winning legend may have gone too far after dissing neighboring show Hell’s Kitchen and requesting that the show change its sound cues for being “too loud.”

Kecia Lewis, a Broadway vet in her own right who won her first Tony this year as Best Featured Actress in a Musical for Hell’s Kitchen, shared an open letter to LuPone on Instagram, in which she called out the Agatha All Along star for a series of “racial microagressions” against the show in recent weeks.

Lewis — noting that her letter is directly from her and not the cast, crew, or producers of Hell’s Kitchen — begins by addressing LuPone’s actions, including contacting the show’s theater owner “about changing a couple of our sound cues because you found them to be too loud.”

LuPone starring alongside Mia Farrow in The Roommate at at Shubert Theatre, which shares a wall with the Booth Theatre, where Hell’s Kitchen is currently playing.

“You also, after our sound design was adjusted, sent flowers to our sound and stage management team thanking them,” Lewis added, a gesture she later refers to as “dismissive and out of touch.”

Lewis then brings up a video of LuPone denying a fan’s request to sign a Hell’s Kitchen playbill because she thought the show was, again, too loud.

Lewis goes on to explain what a microaggression is, how they’re “subtle, unintentional comments or actions that convey stereotypes, biases or negative assumptions about someone based on their race.”

“In our industry, language holds power and shapes perception, often in ways that we may not immediately realize,” Lewis says. “Referring to a predominantly Black Broadway show as ‘loud’ can unintentionally reinforce harmful stereotypes, and it also feels dismissive of the artistry and the voices that are being celebrated on stage.”

Lewis calls LuPone’s actions “bullying” and instead requests true collaboration within the Broadway community, meaning “direct communication, respect for the work being done, and awareness of how actions resonate across diverse teams.”

“On Broadway, we are not just neighbors, Ms. LuPone, we’re a community that shares in each other’s artistry and challenges,” Lewis continues. “Respect and collaboration are what keep us thriving and inspire the next generation.”

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Concluding her open letter, Lewis then “respectfully submit[s]” to LuPone that the legendary actress owes Hell’s Kitchen “an apology, not flowers.”

Reps for LuPone did not immediately respond to Entertainment Weekly‘s request for comment.