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Funky rock, with the echoes of history

Northwestern playwright Zayd Dohrn and Rock Hall of Famer Tom Morello turn protest and passion into a powerhouse musical
revolutions zayd dohrn and tom morello
“What the play is about at its core is the militarization of our cities and how people in places like the South Side and West Side of Chicago have had their neighborhoods militarized like occupied territories for decades.” Zayd Dohrn said. “The play is also about how history keeps echoing itself, and we see patterns emerge across generations.” Photo by Boris Martin

Historic uprisings have spurred many progressive moments in America — the antiwar protests of the Vietnam era, the Stonewall Uprising for queer liberation and most recently the Black Lives Matter movement sparked by the police murders of Michael Brown in Missouri and George Floyd in Minnesota.

For playwright and School of Communication professor Zayd Dohrn, those moments of unrest aren’t just history — they are core to his newest creation. In his new musical “Revolution(s),” now on stage at Chicago’s famed Goodman Theatre, Dohrn channels the energy of those movements into the layered story of soldier and aspiring musician Hampton Falk-Weems. When he returns to the South Side of Chicago after a tour of duty in Afghanistan, Hampton — like his revolutionary parents did years before — ends up being caught in a resistance movement overtaking his community.

Dohrn, who leads Northwestern’s MFA program in writing for screen and stage, is known for social and political themes in his plays. But “Revolution(s)” is Dohrn’s first-ever musical, and it’s not a typical Broadway-style production.

“It has some great music, but the kind of music hard to find in the American musical song book,” Dohrn said.

“Revolution(s)” blends the musical genres of punk, metal and hip-hop — think funky rock concert with a narrative. The sound for this world-premiere production comes courtesy of Tom Morello, Rock and Roll Hall of Famer and co-founder of 1990’s rock band Rage Against the Machine. The two artists began their collaboration during the pandemic. As protests broke out nationwide over the police murder of George Floyd, Dohrn found himself listening to Morello’s fierce, defiant anthems.

“It was matching the way I was feeling about the world and the kind of anger in it, but mainly the defiance of it,” Dohrn reflected. “I texted Tom about combining his music with a story.”

Dohrn developed the project a few years ago through the Goodman’s New Stages Festival. What resulted is a high-voltage rock musical that blends political urgency with three love stories. While no Rage songs appear in the show, Morello co-wrote every number, infusing it with his trademark sound and activism.

Dorhn — the son of activist parents — grew up in Chicago’s Hyde Park neighborhood.  Morello — the son of a white American mother and a Black father from Kenya — was born in Harlem, but raised in the northwest Chicago suburb of Libertyville. He became interested in music and politics while in high school.

“It’s also Tom’s story,” Dohrn reveals. “Growing up biracial in the Chicago suburbs, Tom faced police encounters and resisted systems of oppression and believed music could change the world.”

Five years in the making, Dohrn said “Revolution(s)” feels eerily timely.

“What the play is about at its core is the militarization of our cities and how people in places like the South Side and West Side of Chicago have had their neighborhoods militarized like occupied territories for decades.” Dohrn said. “The play is also about how history keeps echoing itself, and we see patterns emerge across generations. On one hand, it’s depressing to think that we are still where we are, and on the other hand, it’s inspiring because we wouldn’t have come as far as we’ve come without those fights.”

Dorhn is just one of several Wildcats associated with the production. Al’Jaleel McGhee, alum of Northwestern’s MFA in acting program, plays Hampton’s father, Leon. Raquel Adorno is the costume designer for “Revolution(s)” and is an assistant professor in the Department of Theatre.

“Revolution(s)” is on the Goodman stage through Sunday, Nov. 16.