Rock and Roll Man Interviews: Part 3 - Julian Bird & Gary Turner

Rock and Roll Man opens its UK tour at Salisbury Playhouse in February, and Salisbury Radio was invited to talk to some of the team behind the show.

Rock & Roll Man is described as a high-octane celebration of the sound, the struggle and the cultural revolution that changed music and society forever.  This is the original musical about a musical original - the man who gave rock & roll its name and inspired the generation that changed society forever.

In the third and final part of the series, Andy Munns spoke with producer Julian Bird and actor Gary Turner about the production of Rock and Roll Man. 

Listen to the full interview:

Book your tickets here - https://www.wiltshirecreative.co.uk/events/rock-roll-man

Part 1 - https://www.salisburyradio.co.uk/news/local-news/rock-and-roll-man-interviews-part-1-producer-rose-caiola-and-director-randall-myler/

Part 2 - https://www.salisburyradio.co.uk/news/local-news/rock-and-roll-man-interviews-part-2-constantine-maroulis/

Acclaimed stage actor Gary Turner, widely recognised for his portrayal of Frankie Valli in the West End and international productions of The Bodyguard, as well as playing Carlos Diaz in Emmerdale. He portrays two significant characters who work with and support Alan Freed during his career. Firstly, he plays Leo Mintz, a record shop owner who urges Freed to play black music on white radio stations and backs him in doing so. In the latter part of the show, he brings Morris Levy to life. Levy was a New York-based entrepreneur in the musical and theatre world. 

Julian Bird was instrumental in bringing the show to Salisbury Playhouse and is co-producing alongside Wiltshire Creative and Caiola Productions. He is the former Chief Executive of the Society of London Theatre and Executive Producer of the Olivier Awards

Award-nominated Broadway star Constantine Maroulis leads the company. Best known for originating the role of Drew in Rock of Ages on Broadway - a performance that earned him a Tony Award nomination - Maroulis brings both powerhouse vocals and deep rock credentials to the role of the DJ who gave rock & roll its name. He first rose to international fame as a finalist on American Idol and has since built a celebrated career across Broadway, touring and recording.

The cast also includes Jairus McClanahan (Hamilton, West End) as the flamboyant pioneer Little Richard, Joey James (Tina – The Tina Turner Musical, West End) as Chuck Berry, Marquie Hairston (Disco Inferno, UK Tour) as teen sensation Frankie Lymon, Cherece Richards (Shrek the Musical, UK Tour) as rhythm and blues powerhouse LaVern Baker and Joe Bence (Death Comes To Pemberley, UK Tour) as Buddy Holly. Mark Pearce (Groundhog Day, Old Vic) appears as J. Edgar Hoover, representing the forces determined to silence a musical revolution.

Dominique Scott joins the production as Jerry Lee Lewis and Musical Director, leading the live onstage band that drives the show’s explosive sound and authentic rock & roll energy.

Shelby Speed & Cast of Rock and Roll Man (Image: Michael Berkeley)

Shelby Speed (Blippi, World Tour) plays Jackie and Alan’s Mother. Anton Stephans (Little Shop of Horrors, UK Tour) takes on the roles of American guitarist Bo Diddley and Judge, with understudies Xorael Harrison, Jessica Ncube and Grant Zavitkovsky.

Stephanie Klemons leads the choreography for Rock & Roll Man. She is renowned as the Associate Choreographer and Original Dance Captain of the Broadway hit Hamilton and was an original cast member and Dance Captain of In the Heights. Christian Knight serves alongside her as Associate Choreographer.

Having designed the set for the UK tour of Dear Evan Hansen and Midnight at Sadler’s Wells, among other credits, set designer Morgan Large brings his visionary design to Rock & Roll Man.

Randall Myler, a Tony Award nominee, directs, as he did in New York, the show about the life of Alan Freed, a Cleveland DJ who heard the future and knew he had to let it sing. He named the genre "Rock & Roll", bringing music to the masses. Along the way, he became an icon to the nation's youth and a target of the nation's establishment.

Multi-Tony Award-winning producer Rose Caiola (Dear Evan Hansen, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Pretty Woman Musical) has teamed up with Wiltshire Creative and Julian Bird (Green Room Ents) to bring the show to the UK, with the UK premiere here in Salisbury. 

Book your tickets here - https://www.wiltshirecreative.co.uk/events/rock-roll-man