I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned my love of the Wilson Sisters and the rock band Heart in this forum. Needless to say, I’ve been a stalwart fan since my brother bought the Little Queen album back in the mid-70s. Sure, they strayed a little during the 80s and 90s, but they managed the unimaginable and came back as strong as ever, both as a nostalgia act, but writing and performing new music in the new millennium. I’ve seen Heart perform live numerous times, most recently a few years ago, and it’s absolute fact that Ann Wilson will be remembered for having one of the best voices in rock & roll history.
Now Heart is getting its own jukebox musical. That’s right, “Allies” (title from a little-known Heart piano ballad from the album Bebe le Strange) is a rock and roll musical featuring the music of Heart. Heart follows the footsteps of such seminal acts as Queen, Billy Joel, Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash and ABBA whose works have all been translated from the arena to the theater. The plot is described as following a brother, his sister and the man who comes between them. I don’t know about you, but it sounds frighteningly similar to the plot of that fabulous early 80’s movie musical THE APPLE to me! According to Variety, a reading of the musical will take place at the Zipper Factory Theater on January 26.