The question for writer Jonathan Abrams (who shares story credit with Tyler Mitchell) and director Gordon Greenberg is will The Heart of Rock & Roll, a new musical using the songs of Huey Lewis & The News, be “Some Kind of Wonderful” or “Trouble in Paradise.” The world premiere of this new musical comedy starts previews this week at The Old Globe in San Diego before officially opening on September 14th. The show plays until October 21st.
At this point the challenge for jukebox musicals is to do something more than passing time for a couple hours. Recent shows like Summer and Ain’t Too Proud have done very little to advance the reputation of these musicals. Rather than being biographical (as is On Your Feet as well), The Heart of Rock & Roll tells the story of Bobby (Matt Doyle) who eschews his dreams of being a rock star and joins the working world. His boss, Cassandra (Katie Rose Clarke), has all but given up her personal life for career advancement and now faces the possibility of becoming CEO. How much do you want to bet love gets in the way of it all?
Huey Lewis has been involved in the creation of the show and seems genuinely excited about its prospects.
The New York Times just ran an interesting story about how their critics respond, in varying degrees, to the jukebox musical format. Only time will tell if they and audiences determine “If This Is It.”
