Rock & Roll Man

Are you ready to rock? Jam out to rock and roll classics while learning the true story of the man who started the music movement: Alan Freed. Take a seat at the turntable and get Rock & Roll Man tickets on TodayTix.

You’ve heard of rock and roll, but you might not have heard of the radio DJ who turned the genre into a movement, changing the face of American music. Discover how Freed shook up the status quo by promoting the concerts of Black and white artists and becoming the first white DJ to play Black musicians' songs on mainstream radio across the country.

He put now-iconic artists on the map: Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Buddy Holly, Jerry Lee Lewis, and many more. You’ll hear their hit songs and more in Rock & Roll Man off Broadway, which won the 2019 Broadway World Berkshires Award for Best Musical. The show is a celebratory must-see for any rock music fan, bringing a bygone era and its most famous faces back to life.

Get tickets to Rock & Roll Man in New York, and have a rockin' good time!

The Rock & Roll Man musical takes place on the last day of Freed's life, when he has a fever dream about his legacy being on trial. During his life, he was controversial for integrating the music scene, and a long shadow remains over his legacy due to his financial decisions. But there’s no doubt that his decade-plus in the music industry changed it not only for good but for the better.

Tony Award nominee Constantine Maroulis, who plays the trailblazing DJ, is no stranger to rock. He earned his nomination for starring in Rock of Ages on Broadway, and his other best-known credits include Rent, Jesus Christ Superstar, and American Idol, placing sixth in 2005.

Gary Kupper, Larry Marshak, and Rose Caiola adapted Freed's life for the stage, with Kupper providing original songs alongside timeless popular hits.

What to Watch For

• In the "trial" that takes place during Rock & Roll Man, original FBI director J. Edgar Hoover serves as a prosecutor against defense attorney Little Richard.
• Did you know Freed popularized the term "rock and roll"? The phrase had existed since the '40s, but few people outside the music industry used it until Freed said it on the radio.
• Rock & Roll Man premiered in Boston. Ironically, Freed’s concerts were banned there (and in multiple other New England cities) after an overcrowded Chuck Berry concert sparked riots.
• As a nod to his music career, Freed's gravestone is shaped like a jukebox.
• What a rock star! Constantine Maroulis got a personal invitation from Queen guitarist Brian May to sing "Bohemian Rhapsody" on the 2005 album Killer Queen: A Tribute to Queen.