The Heart of Rock and Roll on Broadway Tickets

By: Jonathan A. Abrams, from a story by Tyler Mitchell and Abrams
Songs by: Huey Lewis and The News
Director: Gordon Greenberg
Choreography: Lorin Latarro
Cast list: Corey Cott (as Bobby), McKenzie Kurtz (as Cassandra), Josh Breckenridge (as Wyatt), F. Michael Haynie (as Glenn), Zoe Jensen (as Paige), Tamika Lawrence (as Roz), Raymond J. Lee (as JJ), John-Michael Lyles (as Eli), Orville Mendoza (as Fjord), Billy Harrigan Tighe (as Tucker), John Dossett (as Stone)
Design: Derek McLane Costumes: Jen Caprio
Lighting: Japhy Weideman
Sound: John Shivers
Other info: Hair, wig, and makeup design by Nikiya Mathis; music direction by Will Van Dyke; music supervision, arrangements, and orchestrations by Brian Usifer

The Heart of Rock and Roll musical follows Bobby, who takes up a corporate job at a Milwaukee box factory after his band keeps flopping. There, he meets Cassandra, the owner's daughter who wants to prove her own leadership chops, and romance blossoms.

The songs, like the story, are rooted in the '80s. During the '80s and '90s, Huey Lewis and the News scored 19 top 10 singles across three Billboard charts: Hot 100, Adult Contemporary, and Mainstream Rock. All five of their albums from 1982-91 reached the Top 30 on the Billboard 200 album chart and were certified Gold, Platinum, or Multi-platinum. Not to mention that the band achieved its peak when "The Power of Love" got an Oscar nomination.

That doesn't mean Lewis and his band are any less popular now, and the premiere of The Heart of Rock and Roll in New York proves that. The show also enjoyed audience success for its 2018 world premiere at San Diego's Old Globe.

What to watch for

• "Hip to Be Square" is a song about how it's cool to be uncool. But The Heart of Rock and Roll takes the title more literally, working it into a number set at the box factory. (Boxes are square — get it?)
• The power of love is now twice as strong. That Huey Lewis megahit appears not only in the The Heart of Rock and Roll musical, but also in Back to the Future on Broadway!
• Lewis's music also features in another musical that's as far from a rom-com as you can get: American Psycho. Talk about range!
• "The Heart of Rock & Roll," the song that gives the musical its name, won a Grammy Award for Best Music Video, Long Form in 1986. The song is from the band's 1983 album Sports.
• Huey Lewis and the News were originally called Huey Lewis and the American Express, but they changed it so the same-named credit card company wouldn't sue them.

Important Information

Children under 4 are not permitted in the theatre.

No weapons permitted on the premises. No outside food or beverages, electric scooters, e-bikes, or battery-powered transportation devices, except when medically necessary.

All items are subject to inspection. Anything brought into the theatre must fit on your lap or completely under your seat without blocking any aisles.

The use of cameras, cell phones, and other recording devices during the show is strictly prohibited by law, except when used for accessibility services.