Interludes

VIEWPOINTS – Bringing rock music to the masses: A look at the Off-Broadway jukebox musicals GOOD VIBRATIONS and ROCK & ROLL MAN

• By drediman
• July 12, 2023
• No Comments

This summer on the boards of two of New York’s Off-Broadway theaters, you’ll find a pair of notable jukebox musicals that tell the real life stories of pioneering men who brought rock music to the masses. Here are my thoughts on them.

ROCK & ROLL MAN
New World Stages
Open run

First up at New World Stages is the blandly-titled Rock & Roll Man (RECOMMENDED), an Off-Broadway jukebox musical that seems to have its sights on larger stages. Despite my original reservations about yet another bio-musical (Jersey Boys, Beautiful, A Beautiful Noise, Summer, Ain’t No Mo, etc.), I came away from the show feeling somehow satisfied, a testament to the show’s subject matter, the Cleveland DJ Alan Freed. By focusing on rock music’s pioneering conduit to the masses rather than awkwardly and self-grandiosely highlighting a particular artist’s legacy, the musical smartly and more cohesively captures the pulse of a generation. In his pursuit to play rock and roll music on the airwaves and promote concerts, Freed integrated both artists and audiences, a significant by-product that still begs to be emulated. For the most part, the book by Gary Kupper (additional contributions by Larry Marshak and Rose Caiola) is by-the-books, working best when it decides to eschew prototypical tropes of bio-musicals that have come our way (e.g., Little Richard’s expanded role as an irreverent commentator is particularly inspired). Kupper has also written a handful of well-crafted new songs for Freed, effectively clarifying the DJ’s character trajectory; happily, they fit snugly among the parade of recognizable 1950s hits. The young, hard-working cast is led by Constantine Maroulis (Freed) and Joe Pantoliano (Leo Mintz/Morris Levy), who deliver wonderfully accomplished performances. However, as Little Richard, Rodrick Covington nearly steals the show with his deliciously vivacious performance. Rock & Roll Man has been tightly staged and choreographed by Randal Myler and Stephanie Klemons, who give the production a Broadway-level sheen.

GOOD VIBRATIONS: A PUNK ROCK MUSICAL
Irish Arts Center
Through July 16

If Rock and Roll Man occasionally falls into familiar bio-musical territory, Good Vibrations: A Punk Rock Musical (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED) at Irish Arts Center is defiantly its own beast. Originally presented by Belfast’s Lyric Theatre, the Off-Broadway musical tells the true story of Terri Hooley, a rebellious music-lover who opens a record store in Belfast during the Troubles, thereby sprouting the city’s punk rock scene and inadvertently creating a community that’s squarely at odds with the political and social squabbles of the times. Using a jukebox score compiled from Northern Ireland’s punk rock catalog (e.g., the Undertones’ “Teenage Kicks,” the Outcasts’ “Justa Nother Teenage Rebel,” and Stiff Little Fingers’ “Alternative Ulster”), the resulting musical vividly and authentically captures the era’s punk rock spirit. Indeed, Punk Rock is a meaty, at times unwieldy piece of musical theater that stands at odds with your typical polished, by-committee bio-musical fare. Although the work comes across more like a play with music, the show’s anthemic songs are nonetheless integral to the experience, piercing the sprawling book (by Colin Carberry and Glenn Patterson) with an urgency that’s invigorating. The production has been given a muscular, intelligent staging by director Des Kennedy, who does well to unfold the story at a driving pace. Leading the talented young cast (who also admirably double as musicians) is Glen Wallace, whose portrayal of Terri Hooley is layered, hearty, and ultimately grounded.