Bay Area Artist Brings Truth to Rock ‘n Roll Legends
He’s mastered playing James Brown. Now he’s taking on Little Richard.Bay Area actor/musician/creator Dedrick Weathersby is poised to “tell the truth of rock ‘n roll” and is doing it through music and shows.
In what only can be called creative counter-programming, Weathersby is bringing his Tutti Fruitti: The Life and Music of Little Richard to the Bay Area at Walnut Creek’s Lesher Center for the Arts on Sunday, Feb. 8 at 2pm. Perfect for those who don’t have an interest in the Super Bowl.
While it’s making its West Coast premiere at the Lesher Center, this is not a one-and-done show by any means. “We are anticipating a phenomenal performance response,” says Weathersby. “I’m looking for the right residency for a longer run. We are currently in talks with two casinos in Vegas for a six-month residency. I want to create an experience that feels like a Dominique Morisseau play/production: grounded, soulful, and deeply connected to the people. The Bay is where I honed my craft, and I always want to bring the best of my work back home.”
These aren’t just pipe dreams. If anyone can make it happen, it’s Weathersby who not only played James Brown in Remembering James for years in San Francisco but won some regional awards from Broadway World. “I dedicated three and a half years to the James Brown role before that chapter concluded in May 2022,” he says. “While the Bay Area was our home base, the show had a massive reach. We traveled to the pillars of American music – New York, Detroit, Memphis, Philadelphia, Nashville and Atlanta,” he says, also taking it to Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Atlantic City, San Diego and Shreveport, among others.
Taking on these legends is not an easy feat, but Weathersby felt he had to do it. “The spark actually happened while I was performing in the Premiere of Elvis The Musical. Being part of that story made it clear to me that we can’t talk about the ‘King’ without talking about the ‘Architect.’ I love history and I love telling the truth, no matter how cringy or daunting it might be, it needs to be told. Little Richard’s contribution to music is the foundation; he inspired The Beatles, James Brown, Jimi Hendrix, and so many others. I realized his story needed to be told with that same scale and honesty, so I created Tutti Frutti: The Musical to give him his flowers.”
Besides the James Brown musical, Bay Area theatregoers are familiar with Weathersby’s other work on the stage.”I’ve been fortunate to play some truly iconic characters that require immense emotional range. From the tragic dignity of Coalhouse Walker Jr. in Ragtime and the intensity of Captain Davenport in A Soldier’s Play, to the Shakespearean weight of Othello.
I’ve loved the high energy of Jimmy Early in Dreamgirls and playing both Angel and Collins in RENT. Even the comedy mystery of El Gallo in The Fantasticks taught me something new and comedic timing. Each of these roles has prepared me to bring a deeper level of truth to the legends I portray today.”
