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

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ROCK

★★★★

“Director David Esbjornson lures us into this world before slamming the doors and keeping us captive – and captivated – for the next two hours”

Stephen King’s short story, on which the stage adaptation of “The Shawshank Redemption” is based, was titled ‘Rita Hayworth and The Shawshank Redemption’. We only learn the significance of the reference to the star of the Golden Age of Hollywood in the final moments of the play, but it is an uplifting moment which epitomises the feelings of joy and hope that pop up in what is essentially a grim and desperate setting.

Set in the maximum-security wing of the Shawshank penitentiary, Owen O’Neill’s and Dave Johns’ epic interpretation spans a couple of decades with its tale of a man wrongfully imprisoned for a crime he didn’t commit. That man is Andy Dufresne, wonderfully played by Joe McFadden with a mixture of vulnerability and bravado, who uses his well-heeled banking background to ingratiate himself with the other inmates and the guards. It is a precarious tightrope he walks, and he frequently falls into the pit of violence and backstabbing that is prevalent – particularly among the warden and the guards who are just as crooked as the prisoners.

Director David Esbjornson lures us into this world before slamming the doors and keeping us captive – and captivated – for the next two hours. Gary McCann’s stark two-tiered set creates the prison day room with its balcony from which other prisoners – and prison guards – watch, heckle and interrupt the action below. The audience feel part of that assembly, encouraged by long-term jailbird Ellis ‘Red’ Redding who acts as narrator. Crossing the line between stage and auditorium, Ben Onwukwe gives a remarkable performance as ‘Red’, the prison ‘fixer’ who somehow manages to get whatever contraband his cell mates require. Onwukwe somehow manages to secure our sympathy too, which fills us with a guilty pleasure as we wonder how it is possible to warm to a man who is a self-confessed double murderer.

But then we wonder who the real villains of the piece are. Warden Stammas takes self-interest to extremes as he ignores justice, law and morality to serve his own agenda, willingly dispensing with others’ lives and freedoms. Owen Oldroyd (stepping in for Bill Ward who plays Stammas for the rest of the run) captures the cool menace as he wields his power with a deceptive stillness. The prison hierarchy is vividly illustrated with the peripheral characters establishing their own powerful personalities. Sean Kingsley’s intimidating ‘Bogs Diamond’ and sidekick ‘Rooster’ (a wonderful Ashley D Gale complete with a sinister hyena-like cackle) form the ‘sisters’ who attempt to hold sway through sexual violence. Meanwhile there is Kenneth Jay’s ‘Brooksie’, the librarian who cuts a tragic figure so institutionalised he can’t cope with his parole. Through all of this, the central figure of Andy Dufrense maintains his own innocence. McFadden never lets his character give up despite the odds, taking the knocks with understated defiance and an inbuilt sense of optimism. A vestige of hope comes in the form of Tommy (Kyle Harrison-Pope) who claims he knows the real culprit behind the murders for which Andy was accused. Tragedy soon dashes that hope.

The structure is episodic and time passes in fits and starts. Suddenly a decade can fly by without us noticing, but Onwukwe is on hand to give us context. Chris Davey’s lighting certainly gives us the sense of place with its cool washes – panoramic and moody but concentrated when necessary. Sepulchral spotlights surrounded by shadows evocatively display the isolation. Faultless performances highlight, when not in their solitary confinement, the precarious camaraderie that exists, although occasionally the bonhomie can eclipse the true sense of danger and brutality. But even if the physical savagery doesn’t quite come across, the potency is shocking. “The Shawshank Redemption” is an enthralling picture of this world, and how people adjust to it, whether they are placed there justifiably or not. ‘Redemption’ is a double-edged sword. I’m not going to tell you if it lives up to its title, but I’d strongly urge you to find out.

Tag Archives: Theatre Royal Windsor

ROCK & ROLL MAN

★★★★

UK Tour

ROCK & ROLL MAN

Theatre Royal Windsor

★★★★

“An inspiring show about an inspirational man”

ROCK & ROLL MAN