Huey Lewis Musical ‘The Heart of Rock and Roll’ Is Closing

After only opening on Broadway two months ago, The Heart of Rock and Roll, a rom-com musical based on songs from musical legend Huey Lewis, will close on Sunday. Since April, the show will have played a total of 24 previews and 72 performances.

Set in the 1980s, The Heart of Rock and Roll tells the story of a young man named Bobby, played by Corey Cott, who works at a cardboard company in Milwaukee and has to make a choice whether or not to get back into his career as a musician. Lewis’ classic songs “Hip to Be Square,” “Stuck With You,” and “Do You Believe in Love” featured throughout the show held at the James Earl Jones Theatre in New York City.

The Heart of Rock and Roll, directed by Gordon Greenberg and written by Jonathan A. Abrams, didn’t pick up any Tony nominations.

In a statement, producer Hunter Arnold said, “It was pure joy working on the show with the team of creatives headed by writer Jonathan A. Abrams, director Gordon Greenberg, choreographer Lorin Latarro, music arranger and orchestrator Brian Usifer and special gratitude to the support and participation of the iconic music legend Huey Lewis.”

Arnold continued, “We were honored to have an amazing cast and crew who brought their immense enthusiasm, commitment, and talent to each and every performance. With our original cast album just released and talks underway for a national tour and international productions, the musical will continue to delight audiences for years to come.”

Despite receiving mostly positive reviews from critics, The Heart of Rock and Roll failed to perform at the box office. According to Deadline, in the week ending June 9 the show reportedly only grossed $272,051, which is not a significant amount of earnings to cover a Broadway musical.

Lewis, 73, sat down with Rolling Stone back in April and said that when he was approached about using his songs in the musical, he had his share of concerns involving maintaining the integrity in his music. Ultimately, though, he saw The Heart of Rock and Roll as a chance to “stretch the boundaries of what the song is and be open-minded that way.”

“The story had lots of parallels to my life, actually,” Lewis said. “The character is the same age as I was when I started my band. I had a little day job, and I had started the News. I’d been playing in bands for 12 years. The News was pretty much my last shot. So I have a sense of the anxiety, the ambition, and the worry and all that, as Bobby does.”

The news about The Heart of Rock and Roll closing comes at a time when Broadway is facing financial hurdles across the board. Here Lies Love, a disco-themed musical about the rise and former Philippines First Lady Imelda Marcos, shut down in November. In April, Kimberly Akimbo — a show about a teenager girl who ages rapidly because of a medical condition — also shut down. Then in May after only one month running, Lempicka — a show about artist Tamara de Lempicka — also closed.