who with his band The News stormed radio in the 1980s with such rock-pop hits as 鈥淭he Power of Love鈥� and 鈥淚 Want a New Drug,鈥� is about to take his music to a Broadway stage.
Lewis and executive producer Hunter Arnold tell The Associated Press that the jukebox musical 鈥� constructed from Lewis鈥� songs 鈥� will play the James Earl Jones Theatre starting March 2024, capping more than 10 years of gestation.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been a long road, but it鈥檚 very gratifying,鈥� Lewis said. 鈥淚鈥檓 pinching myself because it鈥檚 really going to happen now.鈥�
The show, which has an original story unconnected to Lewis, broke the record for highest gross per performance at San Diego鈥檚 Old Globe theater in 2018.
鈥淚t鈥檚 smart, first of all, and funny. And it has a lot of heart and it鈥檚 about love, basically,鈥� Lewis said. 鈥淧eople ask me, 鈥橶hat鈥檚 it about, 鈥漈he Heart of Rock & Roll鈥�? And it鈥檚 actually about the power of love.鈥�
Lewis has tweaked some song lyrics to make them able to be sung by different people and in contexts he never initially anticipated. 鈥淭he fun part of that is being able to hear these songs that we wrote tell a new story in a completely different way,鈥� he said.
Music supervisor and orchestrator Brian Usifer has reworked the tunes for a word-driven show, and the production will feature a book by Jonathan A. Abrams. Alongside Hunter as producers are Tyler Mitchell, who initially proposed a show based on the band鈥檚 music, and Kayla Greenspan. Casting will be announced later.
The story centers on a blue-collar guy who used to be in a rock band in his 20s. He finds himself in his 30s prepared to take the leap to middle-class respectability when his bandmates return to take another stab at music. There鈥檚 also a love story when he falls for the boss鈥� daughter.
鈥淚t鈥檚 an everyman story,鈥� said Arnold. 鈥淚t鈥檚 really a story about what do we actually want in life, and how do we decide that for ourselves.鈥�
Huey Lewis & The News had 12 top 10 Billboard hits on the Hot 100 and three that made No. 1. They won a Grammy Award, for best music video for 鈥淭he Heart if Rock 鈥榥鈥� Roll,鈥� and 鈥淭he Power of Love鈥� was nominated for an Academy Award.
Most of the band鈥檚 hits came from 鈥淪ports鈥� 鈥� their sophomore album 鈥� released in 1983, which hit No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and stayed on the chart for 160 weeks. It spun off such singles as 鈥淗eart and Soul,鈥� 鈥淚 Want a New Drug,鈥� 鈥淚f This Is It,鈥� 鈥淔inally Found a Home,鈥� 鈥淲alking on a Thin Line鈥� and 鈥淭he Heart of Rock & Roll.鈥�
Lewis was an unlikely pop star, with earnest and sweet songs that verged on corny, delivered by a singer substantially older than his counterparts on the charts. 鈥淚t鈥檚 the weirdest thing because the man who defied the 鈥�80s in many ways now also defines the 鈥�80s,鈥� said Arnold.
鈥淚 think more than ever, people are looking for something that makes them feel hopeful, happy. Nostalgia is in because it鈥檚 a comfort food for us as audiences, but not something that is without a lesson underneath.鈥�
There鈥檚 irony that Lewis鈥� music is already on Broadway 鈥� in including the theme tune 鈥淭he Power of Love鈥� and 鈥淏ack in Time.鈥�
鈥淚t鈥檚 more about timing. It鈥檚 not about we鈥檙e the greatest songwriters who ever lived,鈥� said Lewis, laughing. He appeared on Broadway in 鈥淐hicago鈥� as Billy Flynn in the mid-2000s.
鈥淚 consider musical theater to be the most rewarding because it鈥檚 the most demanding of all artistic expression. You need to sing, dance and act. And it鈥檚 so collaborative that it鈥檚 not even enough to be good. You need to make everyone else good as well,鈥� he added. 鈥淚t鈥檚 wonderfully demanding and wonderfully rewarding, and we鈥檙e just happy to have a shot at it.鈥�
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