Huey Lewis Talks Bringing His Music to the Stage in THE HEART OF ROCK & ROLL

The Heart of Rock & Roll, inspired by the music of Huey Lewis and the News, is making its world premiere at The Old Globe in San Diego, led by Broadway's Matt Doyle and Katie Rose Clarke.

Huey Lewis himself chatted with The San Diego Union-Tribune about bringing his music to the stage.

"Well, yeah, I'll be honest with you, that's the object," the singer said of taking the show to Broadway. "But I have a very good friend from prep school who knows a lot about the theater business, and he says the single most important thing you must do is not to bring it to New York too early, before it's right. And I think there can be a tendency to do that with a lot of exuberance. We're in love with our show right now, but we don't really know how good it is, to be honest. We think it's going to be fantastic, but it has to prove that. So we'll see."

Lewis said there was a bit of trepidation about handing over his music to this new genre.

"Well, there was and there is - absolutely," he said. "That's why I'm here! But I love the process as well. I'm not very precious about these things. 'Workin' for a Livin' (for example) has been set so many ways - different people have cut it. Garth Brooks did it, Johnny Lee did it, lots of different people did it. And now it's a big production number. Well, why not? It's a new dress."

"I didn't see (the songs) as part of the show yet," he said, speaking of when he first hear the run-through. "But now with what Brian's done, because he's just so brilliant, he's given them each their own little setting with his arrangements. They really do integrate into the show. It's very cohesive."

Read more at The San Diego Union-Tribune.

The Heart of Rock & Roll features a book by Jonathan Abrams and story by Tyler Mitchell and Jonathan Abrams, and is directed by Gordon Greenberg with choreography by Lorin Latarro and music supervision, arrangements, and orchestrations by Brian Usifer.

In addition to Doyle (Bobby) and Clarke (Cassandra), the cast includes Lindsay Nicole Chambers as Nina (Kinky Boots, Legally Blonde, Hairspray), Patrice Covington as Roz (The Color Purple,Motown The Musical, The Book of Mormon), John Dossett as Stone (the Globe's The First Wives Club; Newsies, Chicago, War Paint, Tony nominated for Gypsy), Paige Faure as Paige (played the title role in Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella, How to Succeed, Bullets Over Broadway), F. Michael Haynie as Glenn (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,Wicked, Holler If Ya Hear Me), Orville Mendoza as Fjord (Peter and the Starcatcher, Pacific Overtures; The Wiz and The Orphan of Zhao at La Jolla Playhouse), Lucas Papaelias as JJ (Once, Cyrano de Bergerac, "The Knick"), Zachary Noah Piser as Eli (Wicked, Off Broadway's Sweeney Todd), Christopher Ramirez as Wyatt (Icon Off Broadway, FreakyFriday at La Jolla Playhouse), and Billy Harrigan Tighe as Tucker (revivals of Sweeney Todd and Pippin, The Book of Mormon on the West End). The ensemble includes Nicolette Burton, Lindsay Nicole Chambers, James Royce Edwards, Oyoyo Joi, Robert Pendilla, Christopher Ramirez, MiMi Scardulla, Salisha Thomas, and Josh Tolle, as well as swings Bryan Banvilleand Katie Banville.

The Heart of Rock & Roll will run September 6 - October 21, 2018 on the Donald and Darlene Shiley Stage in the Old Globe Theatre, part of the Globe's Conrad PrebysTheatre Center. Preview performances run September 6 - September 13. Opening night is Friday, September 14, 2018. Tickets are currently available by subscription only and will go on sale to the general public on Sunday, August 5, 2018, beginning at 12:00 noon. Tickets start at $39.00 and can be purchased online at www.TheOldGlobe.org, by phone at (619) 23-GLOBE, or by visiting the Box Office at 1363 Old Globe Way in Balboa Park.