Rock & Roll Man at Theatre Royal Windsor
Rock & Roll Man arrives at Theatre Royal Windsor in a burst of brass, piano and teenage rebellion, turning the story of Alan Freed into a live-wire theatrical event. This musical traces the rise of the Cleveland DJ who helped carry rhythm and blues into the American mainstream under the banner of rock and roll, and it does so with enough energy, colour and historical bite to feel like far more than a jukebox tribute. Beneath the swagger and the backbeat sits a story about race, risk, commerce and cultural change, which gives the evening a richer pulse from the outset.
Framed as a dream trial in the Court of Public Opinion, the show finds a smart theatrical way into Freed’s rise and fall. This is not a literal courtroom drama, but a memory-soaked, stylised reckoning in which J. Edgar Hoover leads the prosecution and Little Richard sweeps in as Freed’s flamboyant defender. From there, the story moves back through the moments that shaped both the man and the movement around him. Childhood memories, radio booths, dance floors, concert platforms and backstage dealings all fold into a structure that keeps the history moving in vivid, well-paced bursts. Rather than settling into a straightforward biographical march, the production lets memory, performance and accusation collide, which gives the evening a sharper dramatic edge.
That structure allows the musical to cover a great deal of ground without losing momentum. It charts Freed’s discovery of rhythm and blues, the racial electricity of Record Rendezvous, the launch of the Moondog shows, the chaos of the Moondog Coronation Ball, and the rapid expansion of a sound that thrilled young audiences while alarming the establishment. The second half carries the story into television exposure, sanitised cover versions, payola investigations, moral panic and personal decline, and the darker material lands with real force. The writing understands that the story of rock and roll was never simply about hit records. It was also about ownership, fear, whitewashing, profit, and the discomfort caused when Black music broke into white households and refused to stay politely contained.
The music, of course, gives the production its immediate lift. Songs such as Tutti Frutti, Great Balls of Fire, Yakety Yak and Why Do Fools Fall in Love arrive with the kind of punch that makes the room sit up, while the wider catalogue keeps the era alive through doo-wop harmonies, rhythm and blues drive and piano-led bursts of pure exuberance. Gary Kupper’s original material sits comfortably within that landscape and helps shape Freed as more than a historical guide between better-known numbers. The show understands the pleasure of the jukebox form, but it also uses the music to deepen its themes, drawing clear lines between sound, identity and social change.
Under Randal Myler’s direction, the production moves with confidence and flair. Stephanie Klemons’ choreography gives the ensemble a constant pulse, filling the stage with period movement that feels buoyant, precise and full of life. Morgan Large’s design creates a flexible visual world that can shift from courtroom to club to broadcast studio without strain, while Tim Mitchell’s lighting and Tony Gayle’s sound help sustain the atmosphere of a show that wants to feel both theatrical and concert-charged. The live band remains central to that effect, keeping the evening immediate and properly alive rather than sealing it behind museum glass.
The cast carry the evening with real conviction. Constantine Maroulis gives Alan Freed the magnetism the role needs, holding the centre with warmth, drive and enough vulnerability to make the later unravelling register. Jairus McClanahan is enormous fun as Little Richard, bringing wit, flash and theatrical electricity whenever he appears, while Cherece Richards gives LaVern Baker real soul and force. Gary Turner makes a strong impression in his roles, especially in the contrast between the more encouraging presence of Leo Mintz and the harder edges of Morris Levy, and Dominique Scott tears into Jerry Lee Lewis with full-throttle energy while also leaving his mark on the production musically. Around them, the company keep the harmonies tight, the storytelling clear and the atmosphere fully charged.
What stays with you is the way Rock & Roll Man holds celebration and consequence in the same frame. It understands the joy of this music, the freedom in it, the trouble it caused, and the doors it opened. By the curtain call, what lingers is more than a run of great songs and strong performances. The show leaves behind the echo of a cultural shift, and of a flawed man who helped amplify it. At Theatre Royal Windsor, Rock & Roll Man feels like a high-energy rock and roll musical with real historical bite.
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- Rock & Roll Man – Photography Pamela Raith
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- Rock & Roll Man – Photography Pamela Raith
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- Rock & Roll Man – Photography Pamela Raith
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- Rock & Roll Man – Photography Pamela Raith
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- Rock & Roll Man – Photography Pamela Raith
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- Rock & Roll Man – Photography Pamela Raith
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- Rock & Roll Man – Photography Pamela Raith
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- Rock & Roll Man – Photography Pamela Raith
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- Rock & Roll Man – Photography Pamela Raith
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- Rock & Roll Man – Photography Pamela Raith
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- Rock & Roll Man – Photography Pamela Raith
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- Rock & Roll Man – Photography Pamela Raith
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- Rock & Roll Man – Photography Pamela Raith
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- Rock & Roll Man – Photography Pamela Raith
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- Rock & Roll Man – Photography Pamela Raith
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- Rock & Roll Man – Photography Pamela Raith
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- Rock & Roll Man – Photography Pamela Raith
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- Rock & Roll Man – Photography Pamela Raith
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- Rock & Roll Man – Photography Pamela Raith
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- Rock & Roll Man – Photography Pamela Raith
Cast & Creatives
- Showing: 10th to 14th March 2026
- Venue: Theatre Royal Windsor, 32 Thames Street, Windsor SL4 1PS - https://theatreroyalwindsor.co.uk/
- Running time: 2 hours 10 minutes, including interval
- Book by Gary Kupper, Larry Marshak & Rose Caiola
- Original Music & Lyrics by Gary Kupper
- Director: Randal Myler
- Choreographer: Stephanie Klemons
- Associate Choreographer: Christian Knight
- Designer: Morgan Large
- Lighting Designer: Tim Mitchell
- Sound Designer: Tony Gayle
- Musical Director: Dominique Scott
- Musical Supervisors: Gary Kupper and Dave Keyes
- Vintage Rock & Roll Elements: Marshak Classic Music LLC and Gary Kupper Music
- Video Designer: Hayley Egan
- Casting Director: Harry Blumenau CDG
- Presented by Wiltshire Creative, Rose Caiola for Caiola Productions and Julian Bird for Green Room Ents Ltd
- Photography: Pamela Raith
- Cast:
Joe Bence as Buddy Holly / Actor Musician
Marquie Hairston as Frankie Lymon / Ensemble
Joey James as Chuck Berry / Ensemble
Jairus McClanahan as Little Richard
Mark Pearce as J Edgar Hoover
Cherece Richards as LaVern Baker
Dominique Scott as Jerry Lee Lewis
Shelby Speed as Jackie / Alan’s Mum / Ensemble
Anton Stephans as Bo Diddley / Judge / Ensemble
Gary Turner as Leo Mintz / Morris Levy
Xorael Harrison as Understudy
Jessica Ncube as Understudy
Grant Zavitkovsky as Understudy
A high-energy rock & roll musical with real historical bite
Summary
Rock & Roll Man at Theatre Royal Windsor turns the story of Alan Freed into a lively, high-energy musical packed with classic hits, strong performances and a sharp sense of the cultural shift that rock and roll helped unleash.
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2 comments
John Drew Landon
Very incisive review… Gary was my college roommate at BU and he was destined for this…congrats to him and you for being able to express so beautifully what Gary was trying to share… keep up the good work 👏
Robert CopeAuthor
Thank you, John. I really appreciate your kind words. It means a great deal to hear that the review resonated with someone who knew Gary personally. He was clearly trying to share something deeply felt, and I’m very glad that came through.