Lewis rom-com has Broadway stage
Huey Lewis, who with his band the News stormed radio in the 1980s with such rock-pop hits as “The Power of Love” and “I Want a New Drug,” is about to take his music to a Broadway stage.
Lewis and executive producer Hunter Arnold announced recently that the jukebox musical “The Heart of Rock & Roll” — constructed from Lewis’ songs — will play the James Earl Jones Theatre starting March, capping more than 10 years of gestation.
“It’s been a long road, but it’s very gratifying,” Lewis said. “I’m pinching myself because it’s really going to happen now.”
The show, which has an original story unconnected to Lewis, broke the record for highest gross per performance at San Diego’s Old Globe theater in 2018.
“It’s smart, first of all, and funny. And it has a lot of heart and it’s about love, basically,” Lewis said. “People ask me, ‘What’s it about, “The Heart of Rock & Roll”?’ And it’s actually about the power of love.”
Lewis has tweaked some song lyrics to make them able to be sung by different people and in contexts he never initially anticipated. “The fun part of that is being able to hear these songs that we wrote tell a new story in a completely different way,” 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. 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’s also a love story when he falls for the boss’s daughter.
“It’s an everyman story,” said Arnold. “It’s really a story about what do we actually want in life, and how do we decide that for ourselves.”
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. “It’s the weirdest thing because the man who defied the ’80s in many ways now also defines the ’80s,” said Arnold.
There’s irony that Lewis’ music is already on Broadway — in a musical take on “Back to the Future,” including the theme tune “The Power of Love” and “Back in Time.”
“It’s more about timing. It’s not about we’re the greatest songwriters who ever lived,” said Lewis, laughing. He appeared on Broadway in “Chicago” as Billy Flynn in the mid-2000s.
“I consider musical theater to be the most rewarding because it’s the most demanding of all artistic expression. You need to sing, dance and act. And it’s so collaborative that it’s not even enough to be good. You need to make everyone else good as well,” he added. “It’s wonderfully demanding and wonderfully rewarding, and we’re just happy to have a shot at it.”
Nov. 12 birthdays: Actor Wallace Shawn is 80. Keyboardist Booker T. Jones is 79. Sportscaster Al Michaels is 79. Singer Neil Young is 78. Actor Megan Mullally is 65. Actor Radha Mitchell is 50. Actor Tamala Jones is 49. Actor Cote de Pablo is 44. Actor Ryan Gosling is 43. Actor Anne Hathaway is 41. Singer Omarion is 39.
Dear Amy: I admit it, I’m bossy and controlling.
My husband of 30 years naturally pushes back when I pressure him too much, and I try hard to accept that he’s an adult and is entitled to his choices if they don’t affect me. It’s taken a long time to get there, and reading your column has helped!
He has put on a lot of weight recently and is now at an unhealthy weight, with a big waistline (not good for a 65-year-old).
I squandered my allotment of unsolicited advice years ago, but now it really matters. I hoped a recent doctor visit would bring about a realization, but evidently she said nothing to him about his weight.
I think doctors are just wary of advising people about weight these days, but he was pretty thin until 20 years ago, and has never paid attention to his weight.
Any advice on how I can get him to accept that changes need to be made? I’ve had a heart-to-heart about how I want him around for a long time, but it didn’t result in any changes.
— Still Bossy, But Trying
Dear Bossy: According to you, your husband was “pretty thin until 20 years ago.” So his weight gain does not seem to be all that sudden (although he might have reached a new threshold recently).
You describe yourself as bossy and controlling, and while I applaud your efforts to change, your entire narrative is a search for ways to boss and control your husband. Your perspective seems to be that this would be the perfect time to offer lots of unsolicited advice to your husband, but you’ve used up your lifetime supply.
Your husband already knows he is overweight. He might have discussed this with his physician, but maybe he doesn’t want to discuss it with you.
You should ask — not tell — your husband if there are ways he would join you in establishing a healthier lifestyle. Would he join you on a daily long walk? (Perhaps he would rather plug into a podcast and go on his own.)
Otherwise, my instinct is that the less you push and interfere, the more your husband may face the realization that he, not you, bears the responsibility for his own life and health.
Dear Amy: I am working with my high school classmates on our upcoming 50th reunion. We want to honor our classmates who have passed with a picture and obituary, and I have been helping to find those documents.
One of our classmates died by suicide a few years after graduation, I believe as a result of postpartum depression. I was saddened to hear about this. Although I did not know her personally, she was a person I admired throughout high school.
I located her obituary, and found that she left behind two young children. I searched to see if they still lived in the community, and I found her daughter on Facebook.
I wondered if my classmate’s daughter would be interested in meeting some of her mother’s friends at our class reunion next year.
If she is interested, it could be a healing moment to learn about her mother and hear how loved she was. At the same time, her daughter might have feelings of sadness or anger about her mother’s death.
Should I contact her to invite her to our reunion? I’m happy to drop the idea if she is reluctant in any way. I’m wondering if my idea is compassionate — or creepy.
—J
Dear J: There is nothing creepy about including surviving family members in your reunion. You seem to believe that there might be more grief or anger regarding a classmate who died by suicide, but I submit that any premature death is a deeply felt loss, and you should shed any supposition of shame or embarrassment for these survivors.
If it is possible, I think it would be a great idea to invite any local family members of classmates who have died (including elder surviving parents).
Dear Amy: Many thankyous for your compassionate response to “Feeling Very Manipulative,” the American-Israeli mom who was so worried about her husband going to Israel to fight in the war. I cried when I thought about what this family was going through.
— Saddened
Dear Saddened: I found this dilemma absolutely heartbreaking.
Copyright 2023 by Amy Dickinson
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