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Corey Cott, McKenzie Kurtz
Corey Cott, McKenzie Kurtz

Corey Cott & McKenzie Kurtz to Lead Broadway’s The Heart of Rock and Roll

Full casting has been announced for the upcoming Broadway premiere of The Heart of Rock and Roll.

The new musical, inspired by the iconic songs written and performed by Huey Lewis and The News, will star Corey Cott (Newsies) and McKenzie Kurtz (Wicked) as lead romantic duo Bobby and Cassandra, respectively.

Huey Lewis enthused, “The casting process has so far been the most thrilling part of creating this show. It’s all just words and notes on a page until an actor gives it life. I am so grateful that this incredible company, made up of some of the world’s most talented stage performers, will be telling our story and singing our songs.”

Of Cott and Kurtz’s casting, Lewis added “I know tons of Broadway fans already know just how dynamic and gifted they are, but their chemistry together is nothing short of electric.”

The principal cast also includes Josh Breckenridge (Come From Away), F. Michael Haynie (Wicked), Zoe Jensen (SIX), Tamika Lawrence (Caroline, or Change), Raymond J. Lee (Sweeney Todd), John-Michael Lyles (A Strange Loop), Orville Mendoza (Swept Away), Billy Harrigan Tighe (Pippin), and John Dossett (Wicked).

Mike Baerga (Bad Cinderella), Tommy Bracco (Newsies), TyNia René Brandon (Some Like It Hot), Olivia Cece (Moulin Rouge! The Musical), Taylor Marie Daniel (Pal Joey), Lindsay Joan (Kinky Boots), Ross Lekites (Parade), Robin Masella (Shucked), Kara Menendez (Women on Fire), Michael Olaribigbe (Elvis at North Shore Music Theatre), Kevin Pariseau (Little Shop of Horrors), and Robert Pendilla (A Beautiful Noise) round out the ensemble, with Joe Moeller (& Juliet), Jennifer Noble (Ghost The Musical), Fredric Rodriguez Odgaard (Moulin Rouge! The Musical), and Leah Read (Rock of Ages) as swings.

The Heart of Rock and Roll will open on Broadway at the James Earl Jones Theatre with previews beginning on Friday, March 29 with opening night set for Monday, April 22.

The production will feature a book by Jonathan A. Abrams, and story by Tyler Mitchell and Jonathan A. Abrams. Music supervision, arrangements, and orchestrations by Brian Usifer, musical direction by Will Van Dyke, choreography is by Lorin Latarro and The Heart of Rock and Roll will be directed by Gordon Greenberg.

Set in 1987 and jam-packed with Huey Lewis megahits like “Do You Believe in Love”, “Hip to Be Square” , and “If This Is It,” The Heart of Rock and Roll centers on a couple of twenty-somethings on the cusp of their futures—Bobby, a rock and roller who’s traded his guitar for the corporate ladder and his boss Cassandra who’s always put the family business first. When they both get a second shot at their dreams, it’ll take “The Power of Love” and a little help from their friends — to figure out what kind of life they really want.

Learn More About The Heart of Rock and Roll