www.broadwaynews.com: “The Heart of Rock and Roll,” a jukebox musical featuring songs from the Grammy Award-winning band Huey Lewis and the News, is coming to Broadway. The show will begin performances on March 29, 2024, ahead of an opening night of April 22 at the James Earl Jones Theatre. The musical premiered at San Diego’s Old Globe Theatre in 2018.
3 comments:
I’ve never heard of this musical before, but jukebox musicals tend to usually be a big commercial success, so I think that this one will do relatively well. Recently I was a bit confused as to how big shows like this get funded, and it seems to primarily be through investments made by people who are interested in the show’s subject matter. Producers try to recoup their money over the run of the show, just like any investor and investment opportunity. This show focuses on Huey Lewis and the news, a band I had never heard of before I watched the movie “American Psycho.” I couldn’t name a single one of their songs, but after listening to a couple, I am starting to enjoy them. It reminds me a little bit of the band “the mountain goats.” I can’t really imagine their songs as a jukebox musical and am interested in what sort of story they managed to put those songs together into.
Personally, I’m not the biggest fan of Jukebox musicals. I think they are kinda annoying, and I just don’t particularly like the fact the music from Jukeboxes aren’t ORIGINAL. I would say the only jukebox I am a fan of would be All Shook Up. I think the use of Elvis Presley’s songs in the production brought so much to the story line and I appreciate it. Other musicals like Moulin Rouge for example, are not GOOD jukebox musicals. Though I appreciate the story of the musical, the use of Katy Perry’s hit song “Fireworks” wasn’t doing much for me. When I talked to my best friend back home about it, she said that I didn’t “understand it” because I didn’t understand that Moulin Rouge is “camp.” I am quite excited to see how “The Heart of Rock and Roll” approaches the world of Jukebox musicals. I will definitely be going to see it when I am home next summer! I think it will be an interesting watch. I am also really excited to see how they incorporate the work of Huey Lewis and The News into the storyline of this new musical.
This is such a cool concept! I’d be interested to see how it turns out. I wish they explained more of the plot of the production, as I wonder what story they decided to create out of Lewis’s songs. I know that jukebox musicals can often have controversy within the theater community and be looked down upon at times, however I tend to really enjoy them. They can be super fun as an audience member, and you can do a lot with them, and have a lot of creative freedom I’m sure design wise. Mama Mia and Moulin Rogue are two such examples of popular jukebox’s that I love, Moulin Rogue especially is one of my favorite musicals(also not simply favorite jukebox). This one is still so ambiguous! They don’t share many details about the production at all, only that they are producing it. Most likely to conserve the surprise, however I’d be interested to learn more specifics about it. It is ambitious to attempt a jukebox, so I wish them luck!
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