Huey Lewis says Michael J. Fox supported him through hearing loss: 'We're really a pair'

NEW YORK – “The Heart of Rock and Roll” doesn’t aim to be high art.

“It might not change your life, but it will change your evening,” quips Huey Lewis, whose contagious catalog soundtracks the new Broadway musical, which is now playing at the James Earl Jones Theatre.

Featuring more than two dozen songs by Huey Lewis and the News, “The Heart of Rock and Roll” tells an enchantingly offbeat story about a former rocker named Bobby (Corey Cott) who’s attempting to climb the corporate ladder at a mom-and-pop cardboard box factory in Milwaukee, run by the warmhearted Mr. Stone (John Dossett) and his unconfident daughter Cassandra (McKenzie Kurtz). When the company heads to a three-day packing supplies conference in Chicago, Bobby seizes the opportunity to try and woo a Swedish furniture client – and winds up winning Cassandra’s heart along the way.

With a book by Jonathan A. Abrams ("Juror No. 2"), the feel-good show inventively weaves in all of Lewis’ best-known hits: “Hip to Be Square,” for instance, becomes a sprightly assembly line anthem, as dancers glide across the stage on cardboard boxes. “Stuck With You,” too, gets a darkly comical twist, as Cassandra imagines a suburban housewife nightmare with a smarmy old flame (Billy Harrigan Tighe). The musical also resurrects some deep cuts to emotional and hilarious effect.

“‘The Only One’ is a song I wrote 100 years ago for a record that nobody bought, and it’s become a really great moment in the show. I never saw that coming,” Lewis says. “And the choreography in ‘Give Me the Keys’ is fantastic. That’s another song that nobody’s ever heard of. It’s interesting to see songs that were minor in our career become so important to the musical.”

Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.

Ranked:10 best new Broadway plays and musicals you need to see this summer

Then, of course, there’s the 1985 chart-topper “The Power of Love,” which is used a couple times throughout the show. It encapsulates a major theme of the musical, as Bobby is faced with the choice between rejoining his old band or working alongside Cassandra.

“It sounds like a cliché, but love is really what the show’s about,” Lewis says. The creative team “agonized over that for a long time. We were told our hero had to get everything, but in life, that doesn’t happen all the time. It’s much more of a real story that I hope people will relate to – not everybody can be a rock star.”

'The Heart of Rock and Roll' was a 'salvation' for Huey Lewis after 'devastating' hearing loss

“The Heart of Rock and Roll” has taken on poignant new meaning for Lewis, 73. The musical premiered in San Diego in September 2018, just months after Lewis was diagnosed with Ménière's disease, an inner ear disorder that causes vertigo, tinnitus and hearing loss. As a result, he can no longer perform live.

“The show’s been very creative for me and a real salvation with my hearing,” Lewis says. “When I lost my hearing, it was devastating for me. I had a very bad six months; I mostly just stayed in bed. And I was worried, frankly. I did all kinds of protocol: all-organic diet, cranial massage, acupuncture, different medicines, and nothing worked. Fortunately, I have two great kids and my son would not let me keep feeling sorry for myself. He said, ‘Come on, Pops, we’ve got to get going.' So the musical has really helped me. It takes my mind off my crappy hearing.”

Sitting down in a quiet office, Lewis can manage fine in one-on-one, face-to-face conversations thanks to his hearing aids. But his chances of getting back in the recording studio are slim: “I can hear pitch to myself, but I can’t sing to anything,” he explains. “If you hit a chord for me, it just sounds like (clanging). It’s horrible.”

And although he’s seen the show roughly 35 times now, he’s not able to make out much of what’s happening onstage. “I can’t hear the songs at all, so I just watch audience reactions to see who’s laughing and who’s applauding and where.”

Right now, his hearing is “not very good,” Lewis says. “I’m probably headed for a cochlear implant, but I have other medical problems I need to sort out first because I’m no spring chicken.” Despite everything, he maintains a good sense of humor about his condition.

Behind the scenes, “it’s kept me from breathing down our musical director’s throat,” Lewis jokes. “He was probably happy that I lost my hearing!”

Huey Lewis has gotten 'lots of support' from 'Back to the Future' star Michael J. Fox

Along with “The Heart of Rock and Roll,” Lewis also has a Broadway footprint this season in “Back to the Future,” a big-budget stage adaptation of the beloved 1985 sci-fi comedy. He wrote “The Power of Love” and “Back in Time” for the film, and the two songs are featured in both musicals. (In fact, they each use “Power” as their finales.)

“Future” is roughly 10 minutes longer than “Heart,” meaning “if we start late and they start on time, there’s a strong probability that ‘The Power of Love’ is playing at the exact same time in two theaters,” Lewis says. “It’s pretty amazing.”

Michael J. Fox, who starred in the “Back to the Future” movie franchise, has been a source of encouragement to Lewis throughout his hearing loss. Fox, 62, has lived with Parkinson’s disease for more than 30 years, which causes tremors, stiffness and balance problems. Lewis says he's spoken with the actor about their respective health struggles.

"That in itself is a chore, because he speaks a little funny with his affliction and I can’t hear, so we’re really a pair,” Lewis says with grin. “We have to be about this close to one another to be able to understand.”

Fox has offered “lots of support,” Lewis continues. “He’s going to come see the show; he’s been very supportive. People don’t realize how funny he is. He is very funny and warm and genuine – just a great, great guy.”