Video: First Look at Constantine Maroulis & More in ROCK & ROLL MAN at New World Stages

Rock & Roll Man, starring Tony Award-nominee Constantine Maroulis and Emmy Award-winner Joe Pantoliano, has released first look video of the production. The new musical, which celebrates the life of the trailblazing DJ Alan Freed began previews June 3 and will open on June 21, 2023 at New World Stages, Stage 3 (340 West 50th Street).

Check out footage below!

In addition to Constantine Maroulis (Alan Freed) and Joe Pantoliano (/Leo Mintz / Morris Levy), the cast of Rock & Roll Man includes Bob Ari as J. Edgar Hoover (Bells Are Ringing), Rodrick Covington as Little Richard (Once On This Island Broadway revival), Valisia LeKae as Lavern Baker (Grammy® and Tony Award® nominee for Motown the Musical), Joe Barbara (Grease! on Broadway), Jamonté (Hairspray tour), Andy Christopher (The Baker’s Wife Off-Broadway), Natalie Kaye Clater (Dreamgirls), Lawrence Dandridge (Ain’t Too Proud national tour), AJ Davis (Dreamgirls tour), Autumn Guzzardi (Rock of Ages), Anna Hertel (Elon grad),Matthew S. Morgan (Vegas and national tours of The Lion King), Chase Peacock (American Idiot on Broadway), Dominque Scott (Rock of Ages Tour), Bronwyn Tarboton (Frozen on Broadway) and Eric B Turner (latest single “Ain’t No Good”).

 

Winner of the 2019 Broadway World Berkshires Awards for Best Musical, Rock & Roll Man chronicles the remarkable life of Alan Freed (played by Constantine Maroulis), the boundary-smashing disc jockey rebel who popularized the records that became the foundation of rock. With an original score that also includes genre-defying hits like “Rock & Roll Music,” “I Put A Spell On You,” “Great Balls of Fire,” “Lucille,” “Peggy Sue,” “Jim Dandy,” “Wake Up Little Susie,” “Roll Over Beethoven,” “Yakety Yak,” “Maybellene,” “Smoke Gets In Your Eyes,” “Why Do Fools Fall in Love,” “Tutti Frutti,” “Good Golly,” and more, this edgy and inspiring new musical comes to New York after two sold-out critically acclaimed developmental productions at Bucks County Playhouse and the Berkshire Theatre Group.

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.

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 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 7-time Tony Award®-winner Caiola Productions (Once On This Island, Dear Evan Hansen, The Color Purple, All The Way, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf). Executive Producer and General Manager is JRJ Productions LLC, Jessica R. Jenen (Parade, Company - Tony Award®; Into The Woods; Life of Pi; New York, New York).

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