Rolling Thunder Vietnam

The powerful ROLLING THUNDER VIETNAM takes audiences on an exhilarating and emotive ‘Magic Carpet Ride’. Acclaimed as “a musical and dramatic triumph” that “reaches deep into the soul”, the uplifting rock drama combines epic and stirring songs from the ‘60s and ‘70s, heartfelt stories of courage, sacrifice and love, and stunning visuals. Featuring a dynamic young cast backed by some of Australia’s most illustrious rock musicians, the great songs that defined a generation include Fortunate Son, The Letter, Born To Be Wild, What’s Going On, We’ve Gotta Get Out of This Place and Bridge Over Troubled Water.

Presented by: Blake Entertainment P/L

Original cast member Tom Oliver (Velvet, The Marcia Hines Band, Wynnum Fringe director) reprises the role of the country soldier Johnny – a character he has made his own since the show’s world premiere at QPAC in 2014. He will be joined by rising young stars Brittanie Shipway (A Letter for Molly, The Sapphires, Big Fish) and Jerrod Smith (Heathers the Musical), both of whom star in Laura Murphy’s exhilarating new Australian musical The Lovers for Bell Shakespeare at the Sydney Opera House. In Rolling Thunder Vietnam, Brittanie plays Johnny’s girlfriend Sarah, a loyal and loving country girl who becomes an anti-war protestor, while Jerrod portrays the duty-bound American marine Thomas.

With a number of theatrical successes under his belt, including Cry Baby at Hayes Theatre Co and, more recently, his breakout role of Robbie Hart in The Wedding Singer, Christian Charisiou plays the conscripted Australian soldier Andy. His big musical numbers include Bob Dylan’s blistering All Along the Watchtower and Marvin Gaye’s aching What’s Going On. Rounding out the cast are Imogen Moore (Frozen the Musical, The Rocky Horror Show, Muriel’s Wedding) and Sam Richardson(Frozen the Musical, Next to Normal), who perform pivotal supporting roles in this unique theatrical experience inspired by true stories of Vietnam Veterans.