The Vietnam War was the sparkplug for one of the most culturally influential era’s in the history of the United States as political unrest, and anti-war protests were at a boiling point. This unrest inspired a boom in impactful song writing, and the new off-Broadway show ‘Rolling Thunder’ combines that music, with real life stories from veterans who served to capture the feeling of that time. Rebecca Blake and Bryce Hallett, members of the creative team for ‘Rolling Thunder’ spoke with Mendte in the Morning about the play and their experience bringing it together.
“If there was ever a phrase that could actually describe that prodigious output of song writing in the late 60’s and early 70’s, it’s this show,” Hallett, the writer of the play, told host Larry Mendte. “And then you sort of marry that to the words and intimate stories based on many many interviews I did with veterans and their family members… it’s a very dynamic experience.”
Blake, the producer of the show, explained what the success of the show has meant to her: “In Australia we had veterans that would come and see this show again and again… we had like the groupie veterans that were so honored that we were even doing this show and to be bring it here to New York is a dream of mine.”