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Huey Lewis, 73, retired from singing in 2018 after suffering hearing loss from Ménière’s disease, a disorder that affects balance and hearing. But his memorable music has found a new voice

in the feel-good Broadway musical comedy _The_ _Heart of Rock and Roll,_ opening April 22 at the James Earl Jones Theatre in New York City. Lewis says the new show is “a wonderful thing for

me. It keeps me creative and it keeps me busy.” He shares with AARP his advice for others suffering from hearing loss, his favorite ’80s tunes and why he loves living in Montana. _This

interview has been edited for length and clarity._ HOW DID THE BROADWAY MUSICAL COME ABOUT? My neighbor [from Lewis’ hometown of Ross, California] is a musical theater buff. We were having

dinner and [my neighbor said to his son-in-law, film producer Tyler Mitchell], “Tyler, you should do a musical on Huey’s music.” Tyler said, “Wow, that’s a great idea. What do you think,

Huey?” I said, “Well, the proof’s in the pudding, Tyler. Lots of people have approached me with the idea of doing a musical. It’s all about the [script].” And so he went away with his

friend, John Abrams, and they wrote a first draft, which was really good. That was nine years ago. We’ve been working on it since. [embedded content] Who are you bringing to opening night?

Jimmy Kimmel is going to come with me on opening night. He’s going to be my date. And we’ve got a lot of friends — some famous, some not so famous — but it’ll be a good night. And a lot of

my band members are coming as well. What do you miss most about the ’80s? Well, I don’t miss the travel. I don’t even miss doing five, six shows a week. But I do miss the circus — the

camaraderie of everything. And interestingly, that’s what I’m getting finally, now that I’m in New York and we’re here with a Broadway show.… [It’s] really collaborative, and that’s a

wonderful feeling, to be part of something. That’s a thrill.