One of the great joys of theater is its endless capacity to surprise — and who would have thought that one of the biggest delights of a musical-rich Broadway season would be a show based on the unexpectedly deep song catalog of ’80s popsters Huey Lewis and the News? The Heart of Rock and Roll, which opened Monday at the James Earl Jones Theatre, is a foot-tapping, candy-colored delight from start to finish. The show, which features a new book by Jonathan A. Abrams that cribs from just about every ’80s rom-com, plays like a Gen X Mamma Mia! that brings the audience to its feet by the rollicking closing number.
The central story focuses on an aspiring Midwestern rocker named Bobby (Corey Cott, who looks like a buff GI Joe action figure and sings like a dream), who’s abandoned his bandmates after a decade of not making it for a factory job where he aspires to enter the executive suite. There he catches the eye of Cassandra (McKenzie Kurtz), the Princeton-educated boss’s daughter who’s given up the corporate career ladder to help out the struggling family cardboard-box business. Kurtz is a revelation, belting out songs like “Hit Me Like a Hammer” while mixing up the ingenue archetype, giving her character’s type-A personality a goofy streak that’s utterly charming.
Abrams fills out his sitcommish story with supporting characters who mostly follow familiar tropes: There’s John Dossett’s stern-but-sweet boss, Cassandra’s dad; the hard-working head of HR (vocal dynamo Tamika Lawrence) who helps facilitates Bobby’s elaborate schemes and harbors some surprise talents of her own; Bobby’s stonerish bandmates (F. Michael Haynie, Raymond J. Lee, John-Michael Lyles); Cassie’s pompous ex (Billy Harrigan Tighe), the parody of the preppy villain from every John Hughes-like movie; and the sauna-loving Scandinavian billionaire (Orville Mendoza) whom Bobby and Cass hope to lure into a deal that would save the factory. (Yes, there’s a definite echo of Kinky Boots here — as well as dozens of other inspirations.)
But there’s real wit in how he constructs a story, which he loads up with plenty of genuine laughlines and period name drops (Gordon Gekko, Sam Goody, fro-yo). He also builds smart segues for songs that range from natural fits (“Workin’ for a Living” on the factory floor) to ingenious stretches (“I Want a New Drug” while Bobby considers giving up the guitar for good). Credit Brian Usifer for the musical arrangements and orchestrations.
The cleverness extends to the production numbers — where choreographer Lorin Latarro manages to find ever more inventive and athletic ways to top herself. This may be the hardest working chorus on Broadway right now. It’s hard to settle on the best routine in a show that features a tap dance performed on bubble wrap, a high-stepping jazzercize routine led by a splits-jumping Richard Simmons lookalike, or any of the ensemble numbers where dancers dive over and under each other, or shimmy, or kick or leap in delightful unison.
Both during and between the production numbers, director Gordon Greenberg keeps the action moving at a breakneck clip, the better for us to gloss over some of the more clichéed or implausible plot points. The design team, from Derek McLane’s set (which offers just the right mix of stylization and specificity) to Jen Caprio’s costumes (with shoulder pads and color-blocking galore!) to Nikiya Matthis’s hair, wig, and makeup design (teased and blow-dried to new heights), also offers plenty of visual eye candy that draws us in. The attention to detail is impressive, as when Cassandra sips a Tab diet soda while extolling her boring day-to-day life in “Hip to Be Square.”
Make no mistake: The Heart of Rock and Roll will not revolutionize the musical theater form. But there’s a comfort in the familiar, both in storytelling and in pop hits from a generation (or two ago). It’s why the TVLand network exists, and why some of us never fail to waste a half hour (or an entire afternoon) watching old episodes of Cheers or Friends or some other show we’ve seen many times before. This show delivers on the promise of its seemingly generic title — there’s plenty of heart as well as rock and roll — and it’s performed with energy, intelligence, and an absolute commitment to entertain. I dare you not to have a good time.
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