Huey Lewis Broadway Musical Finds Its Rock & Roll Hearts In Corey Cott And McKenzie Kurtz
16.01.2024 - 15:43
/ deadline.com
Complete casting for the upcoming The Heart of Rock and Roll featuring the songs of Huey Lewis has been announced: Newsies‘ Corey Cott and Wicked‘s McKenzie Kurtz will play the leads, a will-they/won’t-they couple at the center of the story.
Those and other castings were announced today by Lewis and producers Hunter Arnold, Tyler Mitchell and Kayla Greenspan. The Heart of Rock and Roll, inspired by and featuring the songs of ’80s hitmakers Huey Lewis and The News, will open on Broadway at The James Earl Jones Theatre with previews beginning on Friday, March 29 before an opening night of Monday, April 22.
Said Lewis, “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 added that the chemistry between Cott and Kurtz “is nothing short of electric.”
Also announced for the principal cast are 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).
The ensemble is Mike Baerga, Tommy Bracco, TyNia René Brandon, Olivia Cece, Taylor Marie Daniel, Lindsay Joan, Ross Lekites, Robin Masella, Kara Menendez, Michael Olaribigbe, Kevin Pariseau, and Robert Pendillaf. Swings are Joe Moeller, Jennifer Noble, Fredric Rodriguez Odgaard, and Leah Read.
The official synopsis: Set in 1987 and jam-packed with Huey Lewis hits including “Do You Believe in Love”, “Hip to