Rock & Roll Man, starring Tony Award®-nominee Constantine Maroulis and Emmy Award®-winner Joe Pantoliano, will play its final performance on Friday, September 1 ahead of a national tour.
Executive producer Rose Caiola said, “I am so proud of this production and grateful to everyone who has worked so hard to give Rock & Roll Man its extraordinary New York premiere. This show’s journey is far from over as we explore more opportunities in New York and across the country on national tour. For all the people who have loved our show: be on the lookout for more news.”
The music of Rock & Roll Man features some of the most well-known rock & roll classics created by legends such as Little Richard, Chuck Berry, LaVern Baker, Buddy Holly, Bo Diddley, and Jerry Lee Lewis, as well as explosive original songs by Gary Kupper (Freckleface Strawberry The Musical – Outer Critics Circle nomination).
Rock & Roll Man takes place on the last day of Alan Freed’s life during a fever dream in which J. Edgar Hoover (as prosecutor) and Little Richard (as defense attorney) face off in a fantasy courtroom with Freed’s legacy on trial. Freed brought the sound of rock & roll to the world, popularizing Black artists including legends Chuck Berry and Little Richard. He played their music, produced their concerts, and found an audience coast to coast, becoming “the voice” of a generation. For the first time in history, Black and white artists performed together on stage, for multi-racial audiences. Freed risked everything to integrate the airwaves and unite audiences across America through their love of music.
Rock & Roll Man features book by Gary Kupper & Larry Marshak (editor of Night Beat Magazine and Rock Magazine) and Rose Caiola (Freckleface Strawberry The Musical – Outer Critics Circle nomination), original music and lyrics by Gary Kupper, Vintage Rock & Roll Elements developed by Marshak Classic Music LLC and Gary Kupper Music, direction by Tony Award®-nominee Randal Myler (It Ain’t Nothin’ But The Blues), choreography by Stephanie Klemons (Associate Choreographer and Global Dance Supervisor of Hamilton), musical direction by Dave Keyes (Smokey Joe’s Café), music supervision and arrangements by Gary Kupper and Dave Keyes, additional orchestrations and dance arrangements by Kenny Seymour (Ain’t Too Proud). The Music Coordinator is John Miller (Shucked). Scenic design is by Tim Mackabee (The Elephant Man), costume design by Leon Dobkowski (The Sound of Music at Paper Mill Playhouse), projection design by Christopher Ash (New York, New York), lighting design by Matthew Richards (Is God Is) and Aja M. Jackson (The Art of Burning), sound design by Ed Chapman (Leopoldstadt – Associate Sound Designer), hair/wig & makeup design by Kelley Jordan, and casting by JZ Casting, Geoff Josselson, Katja Zarolinski and Jimmy Larkin. Rock & Roll Man is produced by 8-time Tony Award®-winner Caiola Productions (Parade, Once On This Island, Dear Evan Hansen, The Color Purple, All The Way, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf). General Manager is KGM Theatrical.
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