Rock and roll is known to be many things: inspiring, provocative, and above all else entertaining.
Rock & Roll Man encapsulates these feelings and brings them to life with vibrant energy, immense talent, and genuine love for the music and the individuals who brought rhythm and blues to the world.
Settling comfortably into my seat at the bustling New World Stages playhouse on West 51st Street, still riding the wave of a lively Sunday brunch fueled by prosecco with a coworker, I couldn’t help but notice the electrifying atmosphere pulsating through the crowd. Usually, matinee audiences are more laid-back, but I was pleasantly surprised to find our fellow theatergoers brimming with liveliness. Little did I know, this contagious energy would set the stage for what was to come.
The show commences with a solitary microphone on a hushed stage, presided over by its protagonist, Arthur Freed, masterfully portrayed by Constantine Maroulis. Freed’s infectious energy and zeal instantaneously transport the audience to the hallowed Brooklyn Paramount venue of the 1950s. The marquee, bathed in the ethereal radiance of starlight, assumes an almost reverie-like quality, and we learn this is simply a memory of a live show long since past. A washed up disc jockey, Freed awakes to his daughter, concerned about his well-being, and disgusted at his inability to control his habitual drinking. We eventually discover he is on trial in two separate courts. In real life, he is being tried for corrupting young souls through the nefarious music he broadcast across the airwaves. In another plane, he is in the Court of Public Opinion, involved in the trial for his legacy in which he is prosecuted by J. Edgar Hoover (Bob Ari) and defended by the magnetic Little Richard (Rodrick Covington).
During the course of the two-hour production, we learn about his rise to prominence: discovering R&B music at Records Rendezvous owned by Leo Mintz (Joe Pantoliano), popularizing the music as a jockey at Cleveland’s WJW, moving to New York and becoming involved with the seedy underbelly of the music scene in order to fund his live shows, and staging the cross-country tours with LaVern Baker (Valisia LeKae) that made him bigger than Sinatra. But with stratospheric success comes a swift downfall. The infamous tours ignite riots across the country, the rockstars become unruly, and everything spirals out of control. When the FBI targets Freed, accusing him of commercial bribery, his world crumbles. His reputation is tarnished, his family falls apart, his vices consume him, and his money vanishes. Ultimately, we find ourselves back where we started: a broken man, haunted by his past, drinking away his sorrows amidst the dunes of southern California.
A show about the birth of rock and roll would never be complete without an appropriate level of dedication afforded to the production value and star power that the genre is known for. Rock & Roll Man delivers just that, with the entire cast pouring their hearts and souls into their performances. Every note, every step, is executed with 110% dedication. The choreography is a whirlwind of action, packed into every musical number. While many songs performed are classic rock and roll hits, there are also a few original compositions by co-writer and composer Gary Kupper that are absolutely exhilarating. During last Sunday’s performance, the consecutive renditions of “We Wanna Rock,” “Jesus Save Us,” and “King of the World” prompted the audience to rise instantly to a minute-long standing ovation through sheer will.
Rock & Roll Man is undoubtedly about the rise and fall of Alan Freed, but along the way it is a celebration of rhythm and blues, of rock and roll, of the heart-thumping, feet-drumming, fist-pumping music that provoked, polarized, and pushed forward America. It is a superbly entertaining show that will make you want to go out and buy old LPs with the great classics of rock, and educates the audience on the history of the genre as much as it engages them with enough flair, zeal, and passion to make your hair stand on end.
Rock & Roll Man premieres June 21 and runs through September 3 at New World Stages in Manhattan. Information can be found at rockandrollmanthemusical.com. Running time is approximately 2 hours including one 15-minute intermission.