THE HEART OF ROCK AND ROLL Previews- Page 3

[AndrewLlloydWebersButler]

Posted: 4/10/24 at 9:19am

I agree- this show surprised me!

Corey Cott is singing his face off and essentially has his shirt off half the show...So it's a double win!

Ensemble is giving you fire! Amazing dancing- and funny lines from Tamika Lawrence and then a surprise ending where the roof gets blown off.  The actor who plays Tucker is giving a perfect performance--Nomination worthy.  Mackenzie Kurtz made me cry a bit.  (there's a story line about her mom). It's kinda like Mamma Mia & Juliet had an 80's baby.  And the theatre renovation is gorgeous. Bars on every floor and this show should be watched with a drink in hand! 

[Wick3]

Posted: 4/10/24 at 3:35pm

I was searching online and found this video from Jimmy Kimmel back three weeks ago. McKenzie Kurtz sings "It Hit Me Like a Hammer" in Act 2 and seeing it at the theater knowing the context is definitely a lot better. 

 

[spicemonkey]

Posted: 4/10/24 at 3:54pm

Would much appreciate it if you could put “surprise ending” part behind a spoiler toggle 🫠

[kurtal]

Posted: 4/11/24 at 12:49pm

I have a ticket for the Friday, April 12, 8pm performance of The Heart of Rock and Roll available.  $50 OBO.  Message me if you're interested.

Updated On: 4/11/24 at 12:49 PM

[SondheimDancer97]

Posted: 4/12/24 at 3:26pm

OMG saw this two nights ago ! We had a BLAST! It’s hysterical!  The cast is CUTE! Hello …six pack on the whole company.  And the choreo is my favorite of the season- I mean- those kids are DANCING! And looks like they are having a blast onstage. Very creative stuff. A dream/nightmare ballet that was the highlight. Audience ate it up. 

Corey Cott and Mackenzie Kurtz are great together. 
Billy Tighe plays a preppy character and it’s full of so many funny moments. It’s kinda genius performance. Story is silly and has lots of twists and turns like an 80’s movie, but then it snuck up on me and I choked up.  

It’s literally the ONLY feel good happy fun vibe of the season. And they know they are being cheeky. Also/ The show is clearly in on the Jukebox musical joke. They lean into it in a fun way. 

[RumTumJM]

Posted: 4/12/24 at 4:16pm

A small part of me thinks that this show could end up being like The Little Engine That Could...or Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer...aka the show that was picked on & belittled until everyone realized they needed/wanted it, resulting in it exceding everyone's expectations. 

[Peronista]

Posted: 4/12/24 at 10:50pm

Yeah, add me to the list of those who didn’t think this show would be a TONY thing but 

It’s probably the best new musical to open this season - even being Jukebox.  I wish it had an original score but maybe it wouldn’t be so charming… or good.  It’s like “& Juliet” where the fun is how creatively the songs arrive and work in the story.  So without that extra smile/fun, maybe not as successful.  BUT the performances are really great and it’s exactly like the 80’s movies that were sort of farce meets rom-com… “Secret of My Success” or “Big Bussines” maybe more than “16 Candles” or “Pretty In Pink”.  And I thought - just my take - it didn’t mock the 80’s like “Back to the Future”.  I kind of felt like BTTF was constantly saying, “look how awful the clothes and hair were and isn’t it hilarious how huge the first cell phones were???” I was like, if you think the 80’s were so tasteless, why bother keeping your show set there?  But “Heart of Rock & Roll” genuinely seems to love the 80’s and just lets you live in that world for a while.  I wonder if it’s what it felt like in the 70’s when “Grease” first happened and it was a silly love letter to the 50’s that felt fun to re-live rather than making fun of it constantly.

Either way it was slick and actually funny and the voices are crazy.  The leading lady probably has a huge career ahead of her.  And it feels like Corey Cott is getting more attention for his shredded body (which is almost un-real how cut he is) but that guy is ridiculously talented.

It really could end up the TONY contender no one saw coming.

[Mandy-Pstinkin]

Posted: 4/13/24 at 10:38am

This show is awesome! I particularly enjoyed the neons and 80s vibes all round, but the fact that the cross on the H and the T don't line up in the logo of the show is the worst thing about it says a lot!

Major props also to the incredible wig on the preppy character - top tier semi highlights, 10/10 flow, a real treat to behold.


PS - do not sit front row of the balcony/mezz at the JEJ - you need to have your legs amputateted beforehand to fit!  Absolutely criminal legroom!

Updated On: 4/13/24 at 10:38 AM

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 4/13/24 at 10:47am

Everyone i know who’s seen this has had the best time. I’m not going for a couple weeks but I’ve gone from zero excitement to being pretty stoked. 

[Michelle Birnbaum]

Posted: 4/13/24 at 12:15pm

I don't see this one either on the telecharge lottery site.

Do they offer lottery tickets on the weekend?

[Hopelesslydevoted24]

Posted: 4/13/24 at 2:07pm

They offer a $25 for 25 and in-person rush for $45 if the lottery is not available. 

[BETTY22]

Posted: 4/13/24 at 7:02pm

I had so much FUNNNNNNNNN. Can't stop smiling.

This what what 'Beautiful Noise' should have been, instead of all the doom and gloom.

Show doesn't take itself seriously. Congrats to Greenberg - he sets the tone and keeps things moving.

 

 

 

[bwayobsessed]

Posted: 4/13/24 at 8:09pm

I thought it was a good time. Nothing earth shattering but good fun. Corey Cott was fantastic in his big number and looks excellent always (his arms!). The full supporting cast was fun with Tamika Lawrence being a stand out. 

[VernonGersch]

Posted: 4/13/24 at 9:33pm

okay, if Jordan is in then so am I.   Everything I've read on the boards sounds like this would be a blast. A gummie before hand sounds kinda perfect for it.  

anyone have a discount code?

[jagman106]

Posted: 4/13/24 at 11:14pm

VernonGersch said: "okay, if Jordan is in then so am I. Everything I've read on the boards sounds like this would be a blast. A gummie before hand sounds kinda perfect for it.

anyone have a discount code?"

Funny you said that because I just bought a ticket based on the comments on this thread, especially Jordan's. This show wasn't even on my radar, and I was in my 20s when Huey Lewis and the News were at their height of popularity. I should be the target audience, lol. I found this discount on Playbill - it's not much, but it's something:

HRRPB

DISCOUNT TICKET INFO

• Valid Thru: January 5, 2025
  
  Sales period: now through 1/5/25
  Performance period: 3/29/24 - 1/5/25
  
  Pricing for performances 3/29/24-6/16/24:
  -Up to 35% off
  -Regular prices: $94-$205.50 (all fees included)
  -Discount prices: $89-$149 (all fees included)
  
  Pricing for performances 6/18/24-1/5/25:
  -Up to 15% off
  -Regular prices: $94-$205.50 (all fees included)
  -Discount prices: $89-$185.50 (all fees included)
  
  *Tickets regularly $94.00-205.50. Prices subject to change. Offer, including individual tickets at any given price point, is subject to availability. Offer valid for select performances. Blackout dates may apply. Limit of 9 tickets per order. All sales are final. No refunds or exchanges. Not valid in combination with any other offers or on previously purchased tickets. Performance schedule and cast subject to change. Offer may be revoked or modified at any time without notice.

It's also on Audience Rewards into June, but most dates are sold out.

 

[ClumsyDude15]

Posted: 4/15/24 at 4:21pm

I saw the show on Friday and had a ball!

This show had so many things going for it for me to enjoy it - from Corey Cott’s return to Broadway and several other cast members I’ve loved in other things to Huey’s music which I grew up listening to via my dad - but what a joy!

It’s giving Wedding Singer with a dash of Kinky Boots and a sprinkle of the essence of Rock of Ages without the crudity. 

Huey’s music works so well with the story and connects with the book very well. I never felt anything was being shoehorned in. 

Corey Cott being back on Broadway where he belongs makes me so happy. He has never sounded better and he looks fantastic. His second act solo is giving Soul of A Man vibes in the best way, and you can feel how much he loves this material. 

McKenzie Kurtz is just a star. I was lucky enough to see her as Anna in Frozen before shutdown and as Glinda in Wicked recently, and she just has such star quality. She’s hilarious, has a gorgeous voice, and her chemistry with Corey was off the charts. 

Billy Harrigan Tighe steals every scene he’s in and is giving that evil 80’s preppy you loved to hate from the classic 80’s movie. Also, the back flip he does is a crowd favorite. 

Tamika Lawrence’s voice is incredible and her jokes about HR had me rolling. I loved the friendship between her character [Roz] and Corey’s character [Bobby]. 

The whole cast is just brimming with talent and just having the time of their lives. The tap dancing on bubble wrap? Such a fun idea!

There was camera’s in the rear of the orchestra which seemed to be filming b-roll, but don’t quote me on that. 

For anyone into stage door, almost everyone came out [excluding Tamika, although I may have missed her] to sign and take photos. 

This season needs a crowd pleaser and I’m rooting for this one to be it. 

Updated On: 4/15/24 at 04:21 PM

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 4/15/24 at 5:52pm

The company will perform from the show tomorrow on Good Morning America.

[CukorLover]

Posted: 4/16/24 at 3:19pm

Well, That GMA performance was underwhelming. I was on the fence on this one, and the praise here almost got me to TDF or TKTS. Certainly looks like the music is the "star" as I guess it would be. While I always admire the talented singers, and especially the dancers, getting up at the crack of dawn to dance their hearts out --this just looks so sophomoric to me. Tired, pedestrian-like choreography with kicks, splits, and a mishmash of movement that goes nowhere. I imagine the TV audience wondered why the handsome and buff man centerstage wasn't singing? I realize it's one of Lewis' biggest hits, but what a missed opportunity to showcase something better, if indeed they have that. At least the underutilized and charming Cott got his push-ups in this morning.

Updated On: 4/16/24 at 03:19 PM

[WldKingdomHM]

Posted: 4/16/24 at 11:58pm

Well I saw the show tonight. I don’t know what’s going on with Broadway lately but this was a mess. Straight forward yes, but I felt like the evening went on and on and didn’t stop. Does every character need a full on song? It really should of been an hour and 40 mintue show with no Intermission.  Mckenize and Tamika were perfection and stole the whole show everytime they were on the stage, but just something was “off”…Should this be on Broadway nah…did I have fun ? Sure. Go in with a comp

[chrishuyen]

Posted: 4/17/24 at 12:14am

Meant to post about this a week ago when I saw the show, but time got away from me.  I do think the show is fairly charming for a jukebox musical with an original story that isn't really taking huge swings with material, and a lot of the choreography and musical numbers are great fun (Workin for a Livin gets a great dance sequence, I loved all the a capella numbers with Billy Harrigan Tighe showing off some fantastic moves, and there's a great dream sequence in the second act that had me laughing multiple times).

The main problem is the story is fairly basic, which I usually wouldn't mind for a jukebox, but several character motivations are confusing and the plot doesn't zip along quite as nicely as I'd want.  Bobby mentions his dad a few different times but each time seems to contradict the time before it, and some of the circumstances regarding the relationship with his father don't make any sense at all for his current situation.  A lot of the relationship between Bobby and Cass also seem a bit confusing in being able to tell how they're supposed to be feeling towards each other at any given moment, so while the story updates you (usually by a character stating directly how they feel), I never actually got the sense that their relationship had changed/developed over time so I was never really rooting for them.

I think what I wanted from the show was really more camp (or on the other hand more fleshed out characters would've been nice too).  I don't mind a show keeping things light and fun with somewhat surface level characters if it knows that's what it wants to do, but there was an earnestness to the characters in the show (and Bobby in particular) that didn't quite come off well for me considering how confusing some of the characters were.  The scenes with Fjord were the most fun and I would've loved to have more of that vibe (and Roz gets some good lines too), so they were easily my favorite characters in the show--also because it's generally easy to figure out who they are/what their purpose is.

The other issue I had was that the pacing of the second act seems all off.  We go into intermission with Bobby needing to make a tough choice, and so much of act 2 is spent on him deliberating between the two that when it actually becomes a problem, it's almost immediately neatly tied up by some events that happen off stage and we never really see the consequences of his actions or really see him learn anything.  (After his big second act song, I knew there was going to be a deus ex machine kind of event happening but they way it actually happened still had me pretty disappointed in how "easy" it was).

I don't deny that this is a fun show, but there were still too many things that added friction to the storytelling that I wasn't quite able to just sit back and enjoy it, and I'm actually fairly surprised at how much praise it's getting here.  I do think there's an audience for it, but I don't think it should really be in the conversation for best musical at all.

[VernonGersch]

Posted: 4/18/24 at 10:25am

Take an edible before.  Or a cocktail.  Or maybe both?

That Is some extraordinary talent on stage - also my first time in the James Earl Jones theater since it was redone and it is fantastic. Corey and MacKenzie, the entire cast are crushing it on stage.   It was silly fun (I knew the hits of Huey Lewis but that's about it...) so it didn't have the same appeal to me like Moulin Rouge or & Juliet.  I do wish the books picked more of a subversive lane. Another poster said it should have been more campy and I totally agree.   It didn't have to be Xanadu level but the jokes felt flat a few times but the high light of Corey in the sauna, C'mon...that was kinda great and the build up to that in the First Act worked.

Anyone know why Heart & Soul wasn't in the show?  Did I miss it. 

And a note that the audience was better behaved than the one I saw Stereophonic with which in a million years I would have never seen coming.  No cell phones, no one texting - and presumably these aren't regular theater goers because when I got my day of tix (for dirt cheap - the only way I would see this) my entire row was empty.

Corey Cott and Mackenzie are stars.  I hope this show will have a thriving life on the road as well where I suspect it will play well.  

[always bway]

Posted: 4/18/24 at 10:32am

Saw last night and had a great time. More heartfelt than Shucked and funnier that Mamma Mia. The show knows it is silly and leans into it, so we were at ease and could just go along for the ride. It's funny!!! Direction is funny and like a version of a John Hughes movie. Not going to change your life, but definitely a great night out. Most of the night wasn't as camp as Greenberg's Dracula, but a few moments rival that silliness. Maybe I am alone here, but  I did not expect the story to end the way it did, so good on them! Corey Cott and Mackenzie Kurtz are charming, funny, gorgeous, and two of the best singers on Bway, but Tamicka Lawrence and Billy Tighe steal the show. The choreography is star of show. Inventive and full of 80's Easter eggs, if you are old enough to remember. Loren Lattaro knows how to build a number and the dances go big with bubble wrap and break dancing and roller tables, and wait for it, a dream ballet in second act that is so so camp. Agnes DeMille would be shocked, lol. The set design is like cotton candy with cool lighting effects through a cage-like structure. Set does cool tricks and moves well but isn't overblown. Derek McLane -he knows what he is doing and you can see the stage clearly no obstructions. And the world works with the lighting apparatus well. It goes from real to bubbly to rock and roll surprisingly well. Audience was definitely into the show and fed off each other. It had a panto thing going on sometimes, the audience would boo at the villain and cheer when Mackenzie's character made a decision they liked. It was fun. Actors broke the fourth wall a few times so that egged it on. Music is so good, and they did a good job of fitting narrative into the songs. Huey Lewis and the News music works well for the show's style. He was in the audience and was talking to people casually and signing playbills! He seemed cool, he def smelled like pot lol. Like within five feet of wherever  he was standing. 

Updated On: 4/18/24 at 10:32 AM

[hearthemsing22]

Posted: 4/18/24 at 11:23am

The show opens on Monday and I just really hope critics are kind. This deserves to be seen and have people go in with an open mind. Not everything has to be so deep, and this is just a fun night out 

[BETTY22]

Posted: 4/18/24 at 12:55pm

Silly, fun night out!

I love it isn't even trying to be something it isn't.

 

[Wick3]

Posted: 4/18/24 at 1:29pm

hearthemsing22 said: "The show opens on Monday and I just really hope critics are kind. This deserves to be seen and have people go in with an open mind. Not everything has to be so deep, and this is just a fun night out"

I think tomorrow evening is the show’s opening night for cast/crew and Monday evening is the press opening night though I may be wrong.

In one of the interviews the book writer mentioned that he used the John Hughes film cannon from the 80s as an inspiration.