ROCK & ROLL MAN
Theatre Royal Windsor
★★★★
“An inspiring show about an inspirational man”
“No man had as much influence on the coming culture of our society in such a short period of time as Alan Freed, the real King of Rock n Roll”. If you were asked to whom the accolade belongs, it is unlikely you’d choose the clean-cut, checkered jacketed radio DJ with the boy-next-door looks and all-American smile. Despite appearances, Alan Freed earned his place in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. His influence stretched further as he helped bridge the gap of segregation among Americans, presenting music by black artists on his radio program and arranging live concerts attended by racially mixed audiences. All the while concealing personal tragedy beneath the ‘regular guy’ exterior.
Likewise – don’t be fooled by the veneer of Gary Kupper, Larry Marshak and Rose Caiola’s bio-musical, “Rock & Roll Man”, that celebrates Freed’s life and career. On the surface a typical juke-box musical, yet as the layers are peeled back it is a fascinating piece of social and personal history. It is a familiar story but the angle that the writers take reveal some priceless gems. Alan Freed was a multifaceted character, his life cut short through alcoholism; his career cut short through mixing with the wrong crowd. Constantine Maroulis captures the essence of Freed with pitch-perfection; simultaneously innocent but with an unscrupulous determination that eventually ruffles the feathers of J. Edgar Hoover (played with delicious cartoon villainy by Mark Pearce).
From the start Freed rocked the boat, insisting on only playing the original songs by the black artists instead of the homogenised covers by the likes of Pat Boone. The show latches onto this, firmly putting the music’s legacy back where it belongs. Centre stage are Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, Chuck Berry (a brilliant Joey James – impeccably imitating the famous duck walk), Bo Diddley (an imposing Anton Stephans), Frankie Lyman (the versatile and velvet-voiced Marquie Hairston), LaVern Baker (the ever-watchable, rousing Cherece Richards) and, of course, Little Richard – given the requisite over-the-top campness and pure magnetism by Jairus McClanahan. Meanwhile Joe Bence is a dead ringer (in style and sound rather than looks) for Buddy Holly. Musical Director, Dominique Scott, leaves his bank of keyboards to play multiple cameos. Probably the hardest working MD in town he steals the show with his Jerry Lee Lewis routine, sweeping the keys with impossible glissandos, eventually straddling the piano, leaning precariously to replicate Lee Lewis’ ‘backward’ technique.
All of the singers multirole, giving snapshots of the many personalities behind the music. Shelby Speed seamlessly shifts from Freed’s mother to wife to daughter with deceptive ease. Gary Turner doubles as Leo Mintz, the record store owner who helps kickstart Freed’s career and later the gangster Morris Levy who propels it – but also unwittingly brings it crashing back down. It is in the latter part of the show that the drama truly unfolds. All along, hints of Freed’s alcoholism have been subtly tucked into the narrative, but when the ensemble launch into a harmoniously beautiful rendition of The Drifters’ ‘Smoke Gets in Your Eyes’ we see Freed alone, nursing his whisky bottle on the cusp of his downfall. The Payola scandal (the illegal practice of DJs taking bribes to play specific songs) led to Freed being blacklisted and unable to find work. It is a poignant moment that softly depicts a life falling apart.
Director Randal Myler cleverly frames the story within a dream-like courtroom trial. The establishment is the prosecutor – the musicians Freed championed are his defence. What is at stake is his legacy. History provides the verdict so it’s no spoiler to reveal the outcome here. It is all there in the music, which is uplifting and energised. Stephanie Klemons’ choreography keeps the cast in perpetual motion, weaving themselves around Morgan Large’s mobile set that shifts from record store to studio to stadium under the warm and vibrant hues of Tim Mitchell’s lighting. Gary Kupper slips in some original musical numbers, that are hard to pinpoint such is the chameleon quality of his compositions. But it’s the old favourites that get the feet tapping. Some are all too short, but with well over thirty numbers crammed into the evening it’s probably necessary. It’s pointless listing them – you know them all!
It is rare that a juke box musical can artfully conceal social commentary. The racial prejudice of Hoover and the suspicion of the Civil Rights movement are examined (and lampooned) head on, but it is never thrust into a polemic. The show is purposefully superficial. The only thrusting going on is in the rhythms and the music. And a lot of be-bop-a-lula-ing. And rockin’ and rollin’. The feelgood energy is infectious and we lap it up, along with the songs which are the delicious and glossy icing on the cake. Who cares what the ingredients are? The music brings it all into harmony. Food for thought. “Rock & Roll Man” is vital – in both senses of the word. An inspiring show about an inspirational man.
ROCK & ROLL MAN
Theatre Royal Windsor then UK Tour continues
Reviewed on 11th March 2026
by Jonathan Evans
Photography by Pamela Raith
