SAN DIEGO–The Old Globe’s 2018–2019 Season will kick off with the world premiere of the new musical Heart of Rock and Roll, inspired by the songs of Huey Lewis and the News, featuring a book by Jonathan Abrams and story by Tyler Mitchell and Jonathan Abrams.
The musical will be directed by Gordon Greenberg with choreography by Lorin Latarro and music supervision, arrangements, and orchestrations by Brian Usifer. Heart of Rock and Roll will be presented by special arrangement with Tyler Mitchell, W. Leo Kiely, Bill Kiely, Whitney Kiely Moehle, and Tamar Climan.
With chart-topping songs such as “Hip to Be Square,” “Do You Believe in Love,” “Workin’ for a Livin’,” and the Academy Award-nominated “The Power of Love,” Huey Lewis is one of the most beloved musicians of his generation. Now his high-energy hits will keep your heart still beatin’ at this irrepressible world premiere musical. Bobby is a former rock singer who has traded in his guitar for a stable job in corporate America. He’s on the verge of closing the ultimate business deal and winning the girl of his dreams (who’s also the CEO’s daughter)—that is, if he doesn’t jeopardize everything by reuniting with his band for another shot at rock-and-roll glory. Rediscover Huey Lewis and the News’s heart-pumping classics in this hilarious and electrifying new musical about holding onto your dreams and never losing the thrill of the “heart of rock and roll.”
“Everyone at the Globe is beyond excited to have Huey Lewis’s thrilling songs open our 2018–2019 Season in this rocking and rollicking new musical,” said Erna Finci Viterbi Artistic Director Barry Edelstein. “Full of laughter and joy, Heart of Rock and Roll tells a sweet story of how our wildest dreams sometimes do come true, only in slightly different ways than we imagined. Huey Lewis and the News’s songs—one monster hit after another—deliver jolts of joy and surges of energy, all perfectly suited to the musical theatre stage in Brian Usifer’s amazing arrangements. Huey’s talent has drawn a brilliant team of theatrical visionaries together, led by the witty and imaginative director Gordon Greenberg, and they’ve made a musical that’s about as great a night out as I can imagine. I can’t wait to share it with San Diego’s audiences.”
Huey Lewis is the iconic frontman of the multi-platinum, Grammy Award–winning, and Academy Award–nominated rock-and-roll band Huey Lewis and the News. Formed from two rival Bay Area bands in 1979, Huey Lewis and the News has sold over 30 million albums that produced nineteen Top 10 and three No. 1 hits, including the global smash “The Power of Love,” which was nominated for an Academy Award. Their landmark 1983 album Sports sold over 10 million copies in the U.S. alone and features four Billboard Top 100 hits: “If This Is It,” “Heart and Soul,” “I Want a New Drug,” and “The Heart of Rock & Roll.” Their follow-up album, Fore!, reached No. 1 on Billboard’s Top 200 with five singles on Billboard’s Top 10 singles chart, two of which were No. 1 hits: “Stuck with You” and “Jacob’s Ladder.” All five albums released by the band between 1982 and 1991 have been certified either Gold, Platinum, or Multi-Platinum. The band continues to tour the globe and thrill audiences worldwide.
Heart of Rock and Roll at The Old Globe is supported in part through gifts from Production Sponsors Terry Atkinson, Elaine and Dave Darwin and Sheryl and Harvey White. Financial support is provided by The City of San Diego.
Heart of Rock and Roll will run September 6 to October 21 on the Donald and Darlene Shiley Stage in the Old Globe Theatre, part of the Globe’s Conrad Prebys Theatre Center. Preview performances run September 6 to September 13. Opening night is on September 14. Tickets are currently available by subscription only. Tickets 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.