Corey Cott and McKenzie Kurtz are set to rock on Broadway this spring.
Rock and Roll legend Huey Lewis and producers Hunter Arnold, Tyler Mitchell and Kayla Greenspan announced today the complete Broadway company of The Heart of Rock and Roll, a new musical inspired by the iconic songs written and performed by Huey Lewis and The News.
About the announcement, Lewis enthused, “The casting process has so far been the most thrilling part of creating this show. It’s all just words and notes on a page until an actor gives it life. I am so grateful that this incredible company, made up of some of the world’s most talented stage performers, will be telling our story and singing our songs.”
He continued, “We have Corey Cott (Newsies) and McKenzie Kurtz (Wicked) starring as Bobby and Cassandra, the will-they/won’t-they couple at the center of our story. I know tons of Broadway fans already know just how dynamic and gifted they are, but their chemistry together is nothing short of electric.
The principal cast also includes Josh Breckenridge (Come From Away), F. Michael Haynie (Wicked), Zoe Jensen (Six), Tamika Lawrence (Caroline or Change), Raymond J. Lee (Sweeney Todd), John-Michael Lyles (A Strange Loop), Orville Mendoza (Swept Away), Billy Harrigan Tighe (Pippin) and John Dossett (Wicked).
Mike Baerga (Bad Cinderella), Tommy Bracco (Newsies), TyNia René Brandon (Some Like It Hot), Olivia Cece (Moulin Rouge! The Musical), Taylor Marie Daniel (Pal Joey), Lindsay Joan (Kinky Boots), Ross Lekites (Parade), Robin Masella (Shucked), Kara Menendez (Women on Fire), Michael Olaribigbe (Elvis at North Shore Music Theatre), Kevin Pariseau (Little Shop of Horrors), and Robert Pendilla (A Beautiful Noise) round out our ensemble, with Joe Moeller (& Juliet), Jennifer Noble (Ghost The Musical), Fredric Rodriguez Odgaard (Moulin Rouge! The Musical), and Leah Read (Rock of Ages) as the hardest working people in show business: the swings.”
The Heart of Rock and Roll will open on Broadway at The James Earl Jones Theatre (138 W 48th St, New York, NY 10036) with previews beginning on Friday, March 29 with opening night set for Monday, April 22.
Set in 1987 and jam-packed with Huey Lewis megahits like “Do You Believe in Love”, “Hip to Be Square” , and “If This Is It,” The Heart of Rock and Roll centers on a couple of twenty-somethings on the cusp of their futures—Bobby, a rock and roller who’s traded his guitar for the corporate ladder and his boss Cassandra who’s 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.
The Heart of Rock and Roll is a smart, funny, heartfelt throwback to the era of big feelings, classic rom coms, and music that really “Stuck With You.”
The production will feature a book by Jonathan A. Abrams, and story by Tyler Mitchell and Jonathan A. Abrams. Music supervision, arrangements, and orchestrations by Brian Usifer, musical direction by Will Van Dyke, choreography is by Lorin Latarro and The Heart of Rock and Roll will be directed by Gordon Greenberg.
Additional creative team members are Derek McLane (Scenic Designer), Jen Caprio (Costume Designer), Japhy Weideman (Lighting Designer), John Shivers (Sound Designer), Nikiya Mathis (Hair, Wig, and Makeup Designer), Tara Rubin Casting / Peter Van Dam CSA (Casting Director), Justin Scribner (Production Stage Manager).
Tickets are now on sale at Telecharge.com or by calling Telecharge at 212-239-6200 or 800-447-7400.
The Heart of Rock and Roll premiered in San Diego at The Old Globe, helmed by Erna Finci Viterbi Artistic Director Barry Edelstein and the Audrey S. Geisel Managing Director Timothy J. Shields, in 2018.