The Heart of Rock and Roll, which debuted in San Diego in 2018, will reach New York City next spring
The Heart of Rock and Roll will finally beat on Broadway, with the Huey Lewis and the News musical set to open in New York City next spring.
The musical will begin previews on March 29 at the James Earl Jones Theater, with the official opening scheduled for April 22. A cast for the Broadway production has yet to be announced.
Lewis celebrated the news — as well as the glories of musical theater — in a video announcement on social media. “I first fell in love with all that is Broadway when I appeared as Billy Flynn in the musical Chicago in 2009,” he said. “And I continue to believe that musical theater, because it’s so demanding, is also the most rewarding form of artistic expression.”
Lewis continued: “We’ve been working on our show a long time and we’re very proud of it. It’s funny and smart, and it has a lot of heart, and although I’m not in it, and it’s not about my life, it does feature all of our biggest songs… So, needless to say, we’re beyond excited to bringing our show to the world’s most prestigious venue, Broadway, New York.”
Per the show’s website, The Heart of Rock and Roll is a rom-com that tells the story of “a couple of thirty-somethings who know exactly what they want from life — until they find each other. A slightly more detailed synopsis in the Associated Press notes that the show centers around a down-on-his-luck, blue-collar musician ready to cast aside his rock and roll dreams for corporate America when his band gets one last shot at the big time.
The Heart of Rock and Roll was first announced back in 2018 and had an initial run at the Old Globe Theater in San Diego. The book was written by Jonathan A. Abrams, based on a story by Abrams and Tyler Mitchell. Gordon Greenberg is directing, while Lorin Lataro serves as the choreographer. As Lewis noted, the musical will feature some of the band’s biggest hits like “Power of Love,” “Hip to Be Square,” “If This Is It,” “I Want a New Drug,” and “Back in Time.”
