Discover the untold story behind one of rock and roll's most trailblazing figures in this new Off-Broadway musical packed with iconic rock hits. Get Rock & Roll Man tickets on New York Theatre Guide.
The Rock & Roll Man musical centers on Alan Freed, one of the most prominent radio DJs of the 1950s. Rock fans today may not know his name — although he's a Hollywood Walk of Fame and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee — but they likely know the artists whose careers he launched by playing their songs: Jerry Lee Lewis's "Great Balls of Fire," Little Richard's "Tutti Frutti," and Nina Simone's “I Put A Spell On You,” to name just a few.
He was the first white DJ to play music by Black artists on mainstream radio, and he furthered the careers of both white and Black artists by promoting their concerts, finding them national audiences, and allowing them to perform alongside each other for the first time.
Financial scandal led to the swift end of Freed's career in the 1960s, and Rock & Roll Man covers his highs, lows, and everything in between. In a dream during the last day of Freed's life, J. Edgar Hoover, Little Richard, and various other figures stage a courtroom battle over how Freed's legacy should be remembered.
Rock & Roll Man premiered in Massachusetts in 2019, winning the Broadway World Berkshires Award for Best Musical. The show features original songs by Gary Kupper alongside a host of historic rock hits that Freed popularized, allowing audiences to enjoy something new while letting them rock out to all their favorite oldies.
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