It's hard to believe that over 50 years have passed since the world was first introduced to The Beatles. Back then they were teenage girls pin ups and sold records like hot cakes.
So the Beatles have ‘reunited’ for Let it Be - a tribute to the band. The show boasts over 40 of the Fab Four's classics.
Upon entering the theatre four large old school television sets are dotted around the stage, showing us how much things have changed. These showed things like crowds reactions to their performance and some iconic adverts from the 1960s.
The four men tonight playing Paul McCartney (Emanuele Angeletti), George Harrison (John Brosnan), Ringo Starr (Ben Cullingworth) and John Lennon (Michael Gagliano) all did a fantastic job as far as singing and playing their instruments went. However there was a severe lack of charisma from any of the men and after a while they just became a glorified tribute band.
It was clear everything was rehearsed to within an inch of its life that it sucked any charm out of it. All the times when the audience were encouraged to stand were planned, as well as the lame banter on the stage.
The lighting was the best bit of the show and it made what really is a tribute band seem a bit more special. They were able to capture the moments from the Royal Variety Performance and a stadium gig in the United States.
Looking around me on this particular evening I could see there were many people in the audience who were fortunate enough to be alive during this era and for them it was a chance to relive their youth. They seemed to really enjoy the evening.
The theme of the Act One was a step through time as we watched the Fab Four go from era to era of their career. There were several costume changes, including the colourful outfits from the Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club era. However, during the costume changes the TV screens were used to show classic Beatles moments or sizes of the era. This did become exhausted quite quickly and in fact half the audience thought it was an interval because they took so long between costume changes.
Act Two focussed on what a Beatles reunion may have been like and featured some of the guy’s solo material. The audience were told to ‘imagine’ it was 1980. Some of the songs went down a storm with the audience.
There were some attempts at humour, most notably from Brosnan who encouraged fans to join in only if they knew the words, and not to ruin it if they didn't. However the delivery was very dry.
For the encore during 'Hey Jude' a camera filmed the audience and it was shown on the big screen. This was a nice touch and you could see people’s faces light up with joy or hide in embarrassment - it was fun to watch!
If you're a Beatles fan looking for a good night out and sing along to your favourite songs then this would be a good show for you. However if you only have a passing interest you could be left disappointed.
Reviewer: Brian Madden
Reviewed: 22nd October 2018
North West End Rating: ★★★
