'The Heart of Rock and Roll' on Broadway gives new creative life to Huey Lewis
NEW YORK (WABC) -- The year was 1983 when Huey Lewis and the News found "The Heart of Rock and Roll."
Forty years later, it's still beating, but now on Broadway.
The Grammy winner's catalog is the inspiration for the new musical comedy.
"Well, let me ask you this Huey Lewis, what has this ride been like for you? And it's been a long ride," said Joelle Garguilo, Eyewitness News Entertainment Reporter.
"It's amazing. It's really been amazing," Lewis said. "I mean, it's been a challenge, you know, because it's been nine years now. And we've been trying to get this show here for all this time. So it's we're kind of pinching ourselves believing that it's happened. But the real thrill has been working with these talented people, you know, the cast and the musicians and stuff are so talented here on Broadway and it's just been a real thrill."
"You're a New Yorker, you were born here in Manhattan. To have your catalog be the center of a musical. What is that like?" Garguilo asked.
"Yeah, it's pretty amazing. It's, it's not something I ever aspired to, honestly, or thought would happen. But it's really been great. And I keep discovering new stuff because of the, in the script and in this in the songs, you know, we're still, we're still tweaking. And so the songs have now taken on this other life," Lewis said.
The songs have now taken on this other life.Huey Lewis
"Have you experienced your songs in a different way?" Garguilo asked.
"Exactly. And it's so gratifying when you write a song to what you write, you're telling one story, and now it's telling a whole other story. And that's, and I'm so proud of my songs, you know, it's like, yeah, it's like, they're your kids or something, you know, and it just proud of, you know," he said.
"The Heart of Rock and Roll" is packed with his hits, close to two dozen.
As for the story, it follows a group of starry-eyed 20-somethings getting a second shot at their dreams - a theme that hits close to Lewis in the wake of his devastating hearing loss.
"I cannot imagine what the last couple of years have been like, for you. I feel like as a musician, performing must be your oxygen. But to have this show now, what has Broadway given back to you?" Garguilo asked.
"Yeah, a lot. And it's, it's, and more than anything, it's the work, you know, it's, I mean, Zen Buddhists say you need something to love, something to hope for, and something to do. And this is the hope for him to do. And so it occupies me and keeps me creative. And, and, you know, helps me forget my crappy hearing," Lewis said.
Zen Buddhists say you need something to love, something to hope for, and something to do. And this is the hope for him to do. And so it occupies me and keeps me creative.Huey Lewis
"What would you say the heart of the show is?" Garguilo asked.
"Well, the show is about love. You know, it's a love story. And it's at its core. It's about a lot of other stuff. It's thoughtful, and it's smart. And it's funny, but it's really about love. And, you know, that's, that's really what the world's about," he said. "Our show might not change your life. But we will change your evening."
Previews for "The Heart of Rock and Roll" begins on Friday, March 29, 2024, and it opens Monday, April 22, 2024.
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