Tutti Frutti: The Life and Music of Little Richard

From the creators of the award-winning musical Remembering James – The Life and Music of James Brown, Tutti Frutti The Musical is a full-length stage production starring Emmy- and Broadway World Award-winning actor Dedrick Weathersby in the titular role. The musical tells the story of “The Architect of Rock and Roll,” Richard Wayne Penniman, better known to the world as Little Richard – from his early days in 1948 when he was discovered by the Godmother of Rock and Roll, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, through the next seven years of what would become a monumental career until his abrupt stop in 1957.

A young and ambitious writer for a prominent news journal company is given the daunting task of interviewing Mr. Richard Penniman for the Inaugural Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Class story. Though reluctant to take an assignment for a little-known artist, the writer finds himself caught in a whirlwind of information and true Rock and Roll history. He soon discovers how a divided music industry, Little Richard’s troubled but impactful childhood and sexual fluidity, the ever-changing sounds of music, and the murder of and love for his father shaped Mr. Richard's work.

Including Little Richard’s hit songs “Lucille,” “Tutti Frutti,” “Slippin’ and Sliddin’,” “Good Golly, Miss Molly,” “Long Tall Sally”, "Rip It Up," and many more, the musical features a live band that brings the passion of Little Richard’s music alive while offering messages of freedom, breaking racial boundaries, artistic exploration, and being bold enough to be authentically you.