Want to see a hard-hitting account of the life of Alan Freed, the pioneering disc jockey who pioneered rock and roll and helped integrate radio airwaves and concert halls but suffered an early death from alcoholism after being disgraced by a payola scandal? Or would you rather enjoy a jukebox musical featuring classic songs by the likes of Chuck Berry, Little Richard, LaVern Baker, Frankie Lymon and Bo Diddley, among many other ’50-era rock stars? Or perhaps a comic fantasia revolving around Freed in which he’s on trial in the “court of public opinion,” presided over by a sequin-wearing judge and the prosecutor being none other than J. Edgar Hoover himself?
No problem. The new musical Rock & Roll Man, currently receiving its New York City premiere at New World Stages, delivers all three! This is a show that attempts to cover so many bases it winds up missing the ball entirely.
The fact that the musical’s producers include Freed’s daughter-in-law provides a clue that it’s not exactly going to present its subject in a bad light. It’s a purely celebratory portrait of Freed, whose contributions to rock and roll are undeniable (he was one of the first people inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame) but who also faced charges of commercial bribery and tax evasion and was accused of falsely taking songwriting credits. Those aspects of his life are acknowledged in the musical but only fleetingly, so as not to impair that “Good Rockin’ Tonight” vibe.
[Read David Finkle’s ★★★★☆ review here.]
The unwieldy book by Gary Kupper, Larry Marshak and Rose Caiola begins with Freed (Constantine Maroulis) in his final days in Palm Springs, California, being attended to by his solicitous daughter (Anna Hertel). Cue the fantasy trial sequence that loosely (and I mean loosely) provides the show’s framework, with Little Richard (Rodrick Covington) serving as Freed’s flamboyant defense attorney.
The ensuing flashbacks depict notable episodes in Freed’s life, including his friendship with Cleveland record store owner Leo Mintz (Joe Pantoliano, The Sopranos), who encouraged him to play rhythm and blues records by Black artists on his radio show. Freed instantly sees the light, making up the term “rock and roll” on the spot (actually, he didn’t, although he popularized the term) and adopting the persona “Moondog” from the recording “Moondog Symphony.” He became famous for promoting now-legendary rock performers on his radio show and in concerts and appearing in such movies as Rock, Rock, Rock.
Along the way, Freed forms a business partnership with mob-connected record label owner Morris Levy (Pantoliano again, in a new wig). He’s also relentlessly pursued by Hoover (Bob Ari), who seems to consider him the greatest criminal threat since John Dillinger and goes after him with a zeal that he would later reserve for the likes of Martin Luther King Jr. This does, however, provide the amusing opportunity to see Hoover merrily bopping along to Pat Boone (Andy Christopher) and removing his dress shirt to reveal, well, what you might expect J. Edgar Hoover to be wearing underneath.
In between the cheesy biographical scenes are musical numbers, many of them, that will be instantly familiar to theatergoers of a certain age. Featuring such talented performers as Covington as Little Richard, Valisia Leka as LaVern Baker, Matthew S. Morgan as Chuck Berry, and other ensemble members as the likes of Buddy Holly, the Moonglows, the Coasters, and the Platters, among others, they’re the show’s strongest element. And also its most derivative, since we’ve seen this sort of theatrical karaoke many times before in shows including Memphis, Million Dollar Quartet, Buddy, and countless others.
Inexplicably, Rock & Roll Man also includes several forgettable original songs by Kupper that stop the show cold. I mean, would you rather hear Freed and his daughter warble something called “Rock and Roll Lullaby” and Morris Levy croon “Be Good to Morris,” or hear Chuck Berry, even an ersatz one, rock out on “Roll Over Beethoven?” (Although Morgan should really have taken the time to learn how to do Berry’s famous duckwalk.)
Maroulis, who actually bears a strong resemblance to Freed (the wig helps), performs ably enough in the role to make you wish he had better material to work with, and his American Idol voice still proves powerful. As for Pantoliano, well, the audience affection for “Joey Pants” is undeniable and he seems to be having a good time onstage. But this is probably something he’ll want to leave off his extensive resume.
By the time we see Little Richard doing a Dairy Queen commercial, it’s long become apparent that Rock & Roll Man, directed by Randal Myler (who’s made a specialty of this sort of thing with It Ain’t Nothin’ But the Blues, Hank Williams: Lost Highway, and Love, Janis, among others), is the sort of tourist-friendly jukebox musical that will fit the bill in the cruise ships and casino lounges that will serve as its eventual venues. Or at New World Stages, where it seems right at home.
