Put on dancing shoes
BEATLEMANIA ON TOUR
Presented by Showtime Australia Artscape ★★★½
IN A world gone mad, where rightwing messianism has become the order of the day; where the faithful are mowed down in their places of worship because of their religious beliefs; and where millions seeking refuge from war and discrimination are shunned by fascist governments, it comes as a welcome relief to escape from it all in some good oldfashioned entertainment.
The Beatles have always been the great entertainers from the time they first burst onto the musical scene in the early 1960s and now, more than ever, we need the kind of feel-good infectious music they provide.
Beatlemania on Tour has opened at the Artscape and will be with us until November 11.
The show made its début here in 2010. In the years in between, with the fast pace of technology, the production and lighting have been revamped, as has the fabulous four’s costuming, all to great effect.
The show, as may be expected, takes you on a trip down memory line from their early days of performing in the nightclubs of Hamburg, all the way along their remarkable road to fame and adulation.
It goes without saying that all their hits – the massive platinum sellers, the treasured, the sheer footstomping stuff, the true rock n roll hits, the more whimsical and the mystical, they are all there.
To be honest, I was just a tad bored in the first half. Perhaps due to personal taste.
The second act was far more my kind of scene and provided really great entertainment value.
The Australian cast with one Scottish member includes Joe Kane (Paul McCartney), Zac Coombs (John Lennon), Brent McMullen (George Harrison) and Ben Harper (as Ringo) who perform in the Beatles’ original key and on replica Beatles instruments.
All the hits are there, and for the better part of the show, the audience could not but get up and dance and clap and scream – similarly to the foursome’s original adoring fans all those decades ago. All My Loving, Please Please Me, I Wanna Hold Your Hand, She Loves You, Day Tripper, Nowhere Man, Help, Yellow Submarine, Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band and Hey Jude were just a few of the enduring hits that were packed into the two-hour programme.
The press release mentions soldout shows across the US, Canada, Dubai, Hong Kong, Australia and New Zealand and touts itself as one of the world’s best Beatles tributes.
And it’s easy to understand why. Ten years of the world’s most defining musical history are packaged into some seriously high energy and fabulous fun. Time to put on those dancing shoes ...