You might not think of Buddhist philosophy and Huey Lewis at the same time very often, but it works for him when you consider The Heart of Rock and Rollthe jukebox musical inspired by the song catalog of his band, the News.
“You know, Zen Buddhists say you need something to love, something to hope for, and something to do — so for me, thank God for this show,” Lewis says. Advertising sign from New York. The musician took up residence in the Big Apple to help prepare the musical comedy — which premiered in 2018 in San Diego — for its April 22 opening at Broadway's James Earl Jones Theatre.
“This is, like, bonus time for me,” he continues. “It wasn't something I ever aspired to. I never thought about doing a Broadway show. But it's been a real kind of gift to me and a blessing to me because I don't have anything else. It's given me a creative outlet since I lost my hearing.”
Lewis revealed his hearing problems in 2018 after being diagnosed Meniere's disease, an inner ear disorder that left him unable to sing with the band, dashing any hope of live performances for a group that had been a reliable annual fixture on the touring circuit. And, Lewis reports, things haven't gotten any better. “My hearing is falling apart,” he laments, though he's still fighting through a variety of treatments and a recent eye implant.
The News dug into their vaults for a new album, Weatherin 2020, but his creative focus was The Heart of Rock and Roll, which has been in preview since March 29. A love story and comedy in which the protagonist, Bobby (played by Corey Cott), struggles with his continued dreams of rock n' roll in a comfortable corporate life, it was written by Jonathan A. Abrams from a story he crafted with Tyler Mitchell of Imagine Entertainment. Brian Usifer arranged the songs for the stage.
“Somehow, he revised all the songs in a wonderful way,” Lewis explains. “Rearranging them is more than what he did, though more than that because it zigs where the song zigs and is far from our version of things. It's very interesting and it's a pleasure to see the songs live in this other life. You're very happy about the songs, really.”
Some of the lyrics have been changed — with permission and buy-ins, Lewis says — “to further the story.” But he was conscious of maintaining a balance between the stage life of the songs and their original versions.
“It's a balancing act. you don't want to lose the credibility of the songs,” says Lewis. “That's one of the problems these jukebox musicals have. Back in the day, you'd write for a musical and then those songs became popular when Sinatra or Dean Martin or somebody covered them. Today, they wrap entire shows around popular songs. But one of the reasons that happens is that you need exposure to open these shows, “because it's so competitive.”
The idea for The Heart of Rock and Roll it came up during a conversation with Mitchell's in-laws, who are neighbors of Lewis in Montana and Ross, California. Mamma miabecause i love Mamma mia,” Lewis recalls. “And [Mitchell’s father-in-law] he said, “You should do a musical to Huey's music.” I didn't know about it at the time, but Tyler was a big fan. He knows our music very well. He knows the lyrics better than I do! So he and Jonathan Abrams printed out all of our lyrics and put them up on the wall and sunk in, and this story came about. They came to me with their first design and it was really good.
“Of course, that was seven years and nine drafts ago,” he adds. “It's only gotten better.”
Lewis says the show has changed “significantly” since its 2018 run at the Old Globe Theater in San Diego. “There are probably four new songs, some different scenes,” he notes. The story is set in the 80s, which Lewis says allows him to “make fun of Sony Walkmans and cassettes, a bunch of stuff in there.” And while it's hardly biographical, there are elements of the book that relate to Lewis' own life.
“It actually has a lot of parallels, even though the story isn't about me or my band at all,” says Lewis. “Bobby is 28, the same age I was when I formed Huey Lewis and the News. We played bars for 12 years, and I had done it [the band] Clover that didn't work out for him. So [the News] it was my last shot, probably, at the ripe old age of 28, 29.”
Lewis drew on this to write the musical's only original song, “Be Somebody,” with Usifer and News bandmate Johnny Colla.
“Barry [Edelstein], the director in San Diego, said it's common in a musical for the main character to sing a song early in the show that expresses all of their aspirations, hopes, goals, etc.,” says Lewis. “Bobby has a day job so I understood the stress he was feeling. So we wrote a song where I channeled a little bit of that stuff. I sang the melody, lyric chords and words on my iPhone. Johnny improved the chorus, demoed it and Brian wrote the bridge chords.
“It's fun to write about characters,” adds Lewis. “It's liberating. You don't have to write something that is true about yourself. You can write about the character and that enhances the creativity.”
A Broadway cast album has already been recorded, according to Lewis, and is currently being shopped for a record deal. He would also like to record a news version of “Be Somebody” but is unsure of his ability to sing it. Regardless, the other members of News will be on hand for a celebration on April 19 in New York, and during his red carpet moments, Lewis will be wearing a new suit from good friend Jimmy Kimmel and his wardrobe director of on Jimmy Kimmel Live!
“We were texting and he said, 'I'm buying you a suit for the premiere,'” says Lewis, who hosts Huey's 80's radio for Apple Music. “I said, 'That's weird… Where did you get the idea to buy me a suit?' Is it the fact that you've seen me in the same two suits that I wear over and over again?' And he shakes his head “Yes”. [laughs] That's a friend, right?'
from our partners at https://www.billboard.com/music/rock/huey-lewis-heart-of-rock-and-roll-musical-gift-after-losing-hearing-1235658253/
