Corey Cott, McKenzie Kurtz and Huey Lewis Promise a ‘Roaring Good Time’ at The Heart of Rock and Roll on Broadway

If you’re a child of the ‘80s, weaned on John Hughes romcoms and musicians who wore sunglasses indoors, The Heart of Rock and Roll will feel like coming home. Set to the songbook of Huey Lewis and the News, Corey Cott and McKenzie Kurtz will lead the new musical at the James Earl Jones Theatre, starting performances March 29 ahead of an April 22 opening.

The Broadway Show caught up with the cast and creatives at rehearsal, getting a sneak peek at a few musical numbers while hearing from Lewis himself about how this whole project came together. “I knew nothing about Broadway,” admits the California rocker, speaking about his West Coast upbringing. In a charming revelation, Lewis shares that Mamma Mia! was the show that finally made him a musical theater fan. Nearly 20 years ago, he also took his turn as Billy Flynn in Chicago on Broadway, planting the seed for his return.

Jonathan A. Abrams, the book writer responsible for finding the story in Lewis’ music, tells The Broadway Show how he landed on his romantic coming-of-age narrative. He explains how his process started with a wall full of notecards with lyrics scribbled all over them. “As I looked at those notecards, certain words jumped out at me,” says Abrams, listing words like hip, power, love, heart. “I started to realize, OK, there is a recurring motif in Huey’s music and I need to follow that.”

Kurtz, meanwhile, as the show’s leading lady, promises that it has something for everyone: “There’s hilarity, shenanigans, cardboard…”

“A sauna scene,” Cott says, jumping in. “There’s a lot of unexpected things [you wouldn’t] think you would get in a catalogue musical. You’re going to have a roaring good time.”