Huey Lewis’ rom-com musical ‘The Heart of Rock & Roll’ finds a stage on Broadway in spring

NEW YORK — 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 tell The Associated Press that the jukebox musical “The Heart of Rock & Roll” — constructed from Lewis’ songs — will play the James Earl Jones Theatre starting March 2024, capping more than 10 years of gestation. They won a Grammy Award, for best music video for “The Heart if Rock ‘n’ Roll,” and “The Power of Love” was nominated for an Academy Award. “It’s the weirdest thing because the man who defied the ‘80s in many ways now also defines the ’80s,” said Arnold. Nostalgia is in because it’s a comfort food for us as audiences, but not something that is without a lesson underneath.” 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.