Review: Rock & Roll Man at the Theatre Royal Windsor

Rock’n’roll is here to stay, as the song goes, but where did it actually begin?

Alan Freed was the DJ from Ohio who coined the phrase to describe the music he played on his radio and record store sets, later launching major concert tours that helped ignite a musical revolution.

This new musical follows his story – and the formation of the genre – in fast-moving, rollicking style. A live band positioned at the back of the stage powers the show, accompanying both the action and the songs.

The set design uses geometric shapes with rounded edges across the backdrop and in large movable frames that can be shifted or lit to focus attention. It’s a clever device that keeps the stage dynamic.

It all begins in a bar in Cleveland where Freed (Constantine Maroulis) meets record store owner Leo Mintz (Gary Turner, also doubling as troubling Morris Levy).

Young Alan looks sharp in his checked jacket and tie, hair immaculately slicked back.

Music-wise, the mid-20th century America is buzzing, though radio bulletins remind us the country is still under the shadow of the Vietnam War.

Racism and the legacy of segregation are all around, but Freed’s focus is on great music and seeing youngsters discovering and digging it at places like Mintz’s Rendezvous Records.

He’s committed to playing blues and rock songs by the original African-American artists, not the tame covers by white acts.

It’s ironic that a man who breaks down racial barriers gets in trouble when real barriers are broken down by the crowds desperate to get into his first big gig, but Freed perseveres and his career starts to soar through radio, screen appearances and creating groundbreaking tours.

The music barely pauses. Alongside original songs by Gary Kupper, which move the story forward and reveal Freed’s inner thoughts, come hits from the artists who defined the new sound: Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, LaVern Baker, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis and Chuck Berry and more.

The dancing is joyful and the beats irresistibly upbeat, carrying the audience along.

Yet the the script doesn’t shy away from the darker side of Freed’s story, including his drinking problem and the payola scandal – the notorious practice of accepting money to play certain records.

A courtroom case is an effective framing device for the story and, with 18 talented performers on stage and a versatile set, it’s compelling throughout.

As well as Maroulis excelling in the lead role, mention should go to Jairus McClanahan who gave strong support in the gorgeous harmonies of the Quartet and was a hilarious Little Richard, I loved the drumbeats whenever he waggled his hips.

Mark Pearce played various authority figures from J. Edgar Hoover to an Irish cop with elan.

Dominique Scott had unbelievable talent and stamina, running the onstage band as MD, nipping downstage to sing as Pat Boone (and a heap of other characters) and almost stealing the show as Jerry Lee Lewis, vaulting a piano (it was a low upright) then perching on top of it and playing it backwards.

Goodness gracious, it was tremendous.