Once upon a time, Huey Lewis and the News were compared to The Cars and Elvis Costello. But their stream of catchy singles had an everyday feel, as if they were a group of regular guys who could easily have been headlining your local bar. That’s probably why author Jonathan A. Abrams (working from a story co-written with Tyler Mitchell) set the new jukebox musical “The Heart of Rock and Roll” in Milwaukee and Chicago, despite Lewis being born in New York City and raised in California. His numerous hits like “This is It,” “Stuck With You,” “Giving It All Up for Love,” and “Power of Love” just seem to harmonize with the Midwestern personality.
Over time, these earworms have become separated from their creators; most people recognize “The Heart of Rock and Roll,” but Huey Lewis and the News are often forgotten. This provides excellent material for a modest and heartwarming jukebox show that could become a sleeper hit of the season. It succeeds thanks to an incredibly witty script filled with plenty of laughs and a strong ensemble of lead performances under the direction of Gordon Greenberg. With the help of a stellar ensemble decked out in glittery ’80s style, Lorin Latarro’s stunning choreography begins on an industrial assembly line and then allows the youthful cast to move energetically and effortlessly through time and space.
The show takes inspiration from films like “Road House” and “Dirty Dancing,” as well as Broadway productions like “Rock of Ages” and “School of Rock.” It’s a gritty Midwestern version of “Mamma Mia,” with paper-pushers and basement dwellers replacing the glamorous Greeks on the Ionian Sea.
The story follows Bobby (Corey Cott), a working-class man who has given up on his dream of being in a successful band and now works for a cardboard box company in Wisconsin (an industry that provides plenty of comedic fodder). But you can’t keep an ambitious person down. Bobby crashes a sales convention in Chicago’s Drake Hotel, hoping to prove to company owner Stone (John Dossett) and his daughter Cassandra (McKenzie Kurtz), who Bobby is in love with, that he can secure a deal with IKEA-like mogul, Fjord (Orville Mendoza), for more boxes than Milwaukee has Miller Lites. There are obstacles in his way: Cassandra is being courted by a Princeton “Pez Dispenser” (Billy Harrigan Tighe), and Bobby has former bandmates (F. Michael Haynie, Raymond J. Lee, and John-Michael Lyles) who want him back. Then there’s the head of H.R., Roz (Tamika Lawrence), who has dreams of her own.
None of this should be taken too seriously; there’s no attempt to reinvent the wheel or win awards. “The Heart of Rock and Roll” feels like it was made for Huey Lewis fans who would rather have a beer than champagne any night of the week. Aside from Cott’s endearing performance, the biggest surprise of this show is how funny it is. There’s a series of witty lines that reminded me of both Tina Fey and “The Office,” especially with the frequent references to H.R. and paper. The show never crosses the line into crassness and genuinely welcomes the overworked audience with open arms. “Hip to be square” indeed.
