The theatre critic and Beatles fangirl in me are having a bit of an argument over this production. Let It Be delivers wonderful renditions of much-loved songs but not the story-driven show I was hoping for. At the Prince of Wales Theatre.
I have a photograph of the first Beatles bass player Stuart Sutcliffe on my wall, which is signed by German photographer Astrid Kirchherr – the woman who gave the Beatles their famous haircuts. I have been known to constantly sing Beatles songs when I think nobody’s watching me. And how anyone can seriously ponder the “Beatles or Stones?” question and not come to the obvious answer remains a source of great confusion to me. If any of that rings a bell, chances are you’re as much of a Beatles geek as I am. You may have gathered that The Beatles are not just any old band to me. When my classmates listened to the Backstreet Boys’ new album, I shook my pretentious little head and tried to decide whether Sgt. Pepper’s or Revolver was my favourite album.
So going to the Prince of Wales theatre to see Let It Be had me exceptionally excited. To my delight there was a little quiz on the two big screens as the audience settled down before the start of the show which had me mumbling various bits of trivia to myself. I was truly ready to be taken on a rock ‘n’ roll ride.
Leaving out their rough Hamburg days, the show starts off with their Royal Variety Performance from 1963 and and leads right through to their last album release Let It Be. The show is basically a theatrical concert, or a succession of re-enactments of famous concerts with the odd quote thrown in for the more knowledgeable fan.
The famous rooftop concert has already been done as part of the show’s marketing campaign, and this show takes the audiences through the decade: from Liverpool’s Merseyside and the intimate Cavern club to the Shea Stadium where in 1965 they played in front of 55,000 people and apparently couldn’t even hear themselves on stage. The visuals try to create the atmosphere of the concert sites and the show wants the audience to give in and feel part of these milestone performances. For example, original recordings of screaming girls are interspliced with live footage of the actual audience.
Although the audience was up on its feet quite early on in the show, swaying, twisting-and-shouting and clapping, I don’t think that the little time-travel experiment quite works. When the performers try to interact with the audience it is somewhat superficial. We see impersonations of the four musicians that never really come to life because a tightly-planned show like this does not seem to leave any room for improvisation.
Later albums like Sgt. Pepper’s get some space too, with the cast dressing up in the famous colourful uniforms and gazing seriously into the audience. There is a nice and quiet acoustic part in it as well, but all the way through the evening I waited for the Beatles music to work its magic and have a more profound emotional impact on me as has happened many times before when just simply listening to the records. Alas, to no avail. Granted, I was entertained and pleased with some of the details and arrangements, but was not as moved as I hoped I was going to be.
The performers have got some of the mannerisms down pat – especially Michael Gagliano who is eerily close to John Lennon’s physicality. And throughout the show the other performers, too, seem to grow more and more into the characters they are portraying. The details are just right: there’s Paul’s violin-shaped Höfner bass and George’s beautiful Rickenbacker. And John even seems a bit too cheeky at times. But it’s not just the look: in “Strawberry Fields”, for example, John’s voice in its colour and pitch is just perfect.
I have however seen tribute bands that were more convincing acoustically (for example the Broadway success RAIN, which this is based off) although none have had such a colourful stage illustration as Let It Be. Darren McCaulley’s and Mathieu St-Arnaud’s video design is beautiful, sometimes plainly illustrating the lyrics, sometimes just joyfully wacky and reminiscent of Terry Gilliam.
Although I left the theatre very elated on the grounds of having heard these stunning songs performed live in front of me, something touching to take home was missing. This is a very well-executed Beatles tribute and if you are willing to dig deep into your pockets and spend up to £90 (for premium seats) to go and see this you will certainly enjoy yourself. For everyone else who is waiting for that elusive West End musical about the Fab Four’s story behind all the fame, this is not it. And I shall return to listening to the Beatles on my mp3 player and sheepishly humming to myself on the Tube. Listening to the vivid arrangements, the stories told by the lyrics come to life in my head all on their own. No tribute band needed.