Rolling Thunder: A Rock Journey

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Do we need another jukebox musical? In the case of Rolling Thunder: A Rock Journey, the answer is a wavering yes.

Written with more insight than usual by Bryce Hallett, with musical direction by Sonny Paladino, Rolling Thunder manages to find a fresh way to bring the Vietnam War era to life, opening with a brash burst of music (“Magic Carpet Ride” by Steppenwolf) and a period newscast of Nixon explaining why the war was expanding—contrary to growing public anti-war sentiment.  The title refers to the sudden savage saturation bombing campaign against North Vietnam 60 years ago.

The elaborate, multi-level set by Wilson Chin allows period videos (by Caite Hevner) to be shown amidst the overkill of Jake DeGroot’s pseudo-psychedelic lighting. All this adroit technology feeds Hallett’s book which is based on letters, documents, interviews and news stories.  Even so, the characters, who mostly speak and sing directly to the audience in between videos of war-torn Vietnam and speeches by Presidents Nixon and Johnson, manage to emerge as whole people because the performers are adroit.

Johnny (Drew Becker) is a farm boy whose enlistment drives his clinging mother nearly crazy.  Johnny’s girlfriend left back home is Linda (Erin Ramirez, subbing for Cassadee Pope).  Their relationship is seriously splintered as one of the casualties of war.

Thomas (Justin Matthew Sargent) is a Christian from a military family so his joining up is no surprise.  Andy (Daniel Yearwood) is black and wary about being drafted after hearing tales of discrimination in the integrated units.

Protesting the war is Jimi (Deon’te Goodman who sings “War, What is it Good For?”).

Playing several parts is the skillful Courtnee Carter whose several numbers blasted from the uppermost level of the set add energy to the proceedings.

True, Rolling Thunder doesn’t integrate its popular songs as deeply into the plot and characters as the Bob Dylan musical, Girl From the North Country nor as entertainingly as & Juliet, but as a means to an end—to show the agony of that war that many want to forget and most don’t remember at all—it helps drive the point home. Fine performances steer the writing away from cliché to deeply personal giving resonance to the songs of that era which include high decibel renditions by the on stage band—Aurelien Budynek, Sherrod Barnes, Yuka Tadano and Grant Braddock—conducted by Sonny Paladino. Each character has a revelatory song with the entire cast ending on a hopeful note with Simon & Garfunkel’s “Bridge over Troubled Water.”

Andy sings Bob Dylan’s “A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall” and Thomas has the Animals’ “House of the Rising Sun” en route to Vietnam.  John’s personal trauma is represented by Joe Cocker’s “The Letter.”  Linda’s angst: Gladys Knight’s “Help Me Male It through the Night.”  Of course, the men get to howl “Born to be Wild” (Steppenwolf).

The death of a main character is dealt with quiet dignity.

The production was directed by Kenneth Ferrone who managed to assemble all the pieces perfectly.

Despite the decibels and an underwritten book, Rolling Thunder: A Rock Journey still moves and, more importantly, shines a very bright spotlight on that futile experiment in imperialism that cost the lives of over 50,000 Americans, not to mention South Asians.

Rolling Thunder: A Rock Journey (through September 7, 2025)

New World Stages/Stage 3, 340 West 50^th Street, in Manhattan

For tickets, visit http://www.rollingthunderus.com

Running time: two hours and 15 minutes including one intermission