From ABC News Radio Online:
The new musical Jukebox Hero, which features a variety of classic hits by Foreigner, comes alive tonight when it gets its world premiere at the Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium in Calgary, Canada.
Foreigner guitarist Mick Jones, who wrote or co-wrote all of the tunes performed in the show, tells ABC Radio, “People have been asking me for years about doing [a musical featuring songs by the group], so I think we’ve waited until the cycle is almost complete. But…I think the songs will speak for themselves.”
Jukebox Hero: The Musical was written by Ian La Frenais and Dick Clement, whose credits include the films The Commitments and Across the Universe, the HBO series Tracy Takes On… and many other projects. Jones says he felt “very fortunate” to get the longtime collaborators to contribute to the production.
Among the many Foreigner tunes incorporated into the show are “I Want to Know What Love Is,” “Cold as Ice,” “Waiting for a Girl Like You,” “Hot Blooded,” “Urgent,” “Head Games,” “Feels Like the First Time” and, of course, “Jukebox Hero.”
According to an official synopsis, the musical is set in Blaydon, Pennsylvania, an economically depressed town where a music star named Ryan Perry grew up but has rarely visited since he left to find fame and fortune. Perry’s father and girlfriend appeal to him to return to Blaydon to stage a benefit concert to help the town’s financially struggling residents.
Jukebox Hero: The Musical is scheduled to run for three performances in Calgary, from August 10 to August 12, followed by a four-performance engagement, August 16-19, in Edmonton, Canada, and a five-show stand in February 2019 in Toronto. You can purchase tickets by visiting JukeboxHeroMusical.com and ForeignerOnline.com.
