Corey Cott and McKenzie Kurtz to Lead Broadway's Huey Lewis Musical The Heart of Rock and Roll

Corey Cott and McKenzie Kurtz will play the romantic leads in the new Broadway musical The Heart of Rock and Roll. Set to the songs of Huey Lewis and the News, the show will begin previews March 29 and open April 22 at the James Earl Jones Theatre.

Cott, who made his Broadway debut in Disney's Newsies, was last seen on Broadway as Donny Novitski in the 2017 production of Bandstand. He also starred opposite Vanessa Hudgens in the 2015 revival of Gigi. Kurtz is currently starring as Glinda in Broadway's Wicked, having made her Broadway debut as Anna in Frozen.

The principal cast of The Heart of Rock and Roll also includes Josh Breckenridge, F. Michael Haynie, Zoe Jensen, Tamika Lawrence, Raymond J. Lee, John-Michael Lyles, Orville Mendoza, Billy Harrigan Tighe and John Dossett. Mike Baerga, Tommy Bracco, TyNia René Brandon, Olivia Cece, Taylor Marie Daniel, Lindsay Joan, Ross Lekites, Robin Masella, Kara Menendez, Michael Olaribigbe, Kevin Pariseau and Robert Pendilla round out the musical's ensemble. The swings are Joe Moeller, Jennifer Noble, Fredric Rodriguez Odgaard and Leah Read.

Set in 1987 and jam-packed with feel-good Huey Lewis tracks like “Do You Believe in Love”, “Hip to Be Square” and “If This Is It,” The Heart of Rock and Roll follows Bobby (Cott) and Cassandra (Kurtz), a couple of twenty-somethings on the cusp of their futures. Bobby is a rock and roller who’s traded his guitar for the corporate ladder while his boss Cassandra has always put the family business first. When they both get a second shot at their dreams, it’ll take “The Power of Love” and a little help from their friends to figure out what kind of life they really want.

Directed by Gordon Greenberg, The Heart of Rock and Roll premiered in San Diego at the Old Globe in 2018 with a book by Jonathan A. Abrams and story by Tyler Mitchell and Abrams. The show features sets by Derek McLane, costumes by Jen Caprio, lighting design by Japhy Weideman, sound design by John Shivers and hair, wig and makeup by Nikiya Mathis. Music supervision, arrangements and orchestrations are by Brian Usifer with musical direction by Will Van Dyke and choreography by Lorin Latarro.