The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
Bringing a Beatles show to life
Fans of The Fab Four won’t want to miss the show Rolling Stone magazine has said is the “best Beatles tribute on Earth.” It’s called “1964 The Tribute,” and it will be at Stamford’s Palace Theatre on Saturday, Feb. 23.
This show recreates an early 1960s Beatles concert, complete with period instruments and attire, including the right hairstyles. There’s onstage banter, too — all with an accuracy that’s said to be unmatched.
Audience members will feel as if they’re going on a musical journey to one of the greatest eras in rock history. Performers include Mark Benson as John Lennon, Mac Ruffing as Paul McCartney, Tom Work as George Harrison, and Bobby Potter as Ringo Starr.
Benson and Work have been with the show since its start in the early 1980s. Benson has said he never dreamed it would run this long. Fortunately he’s a guitar luthier, so he’s able to maintain many of the band’s instruments himself.
Also interesting: Ruffing is actually right-handed and learned to play the bass lefthanded to more accurately portray McCartney. Both McCartney and Starr and left-handed. (If you’re a true Beatles fan, you already knew that.)
“1964 The Tribute” has sold out shows at Carnegie Hall and Red Rocks Amphitheater many times. The musicians have also shared the stage with artists from James Taylor to Smokey Robinson, and have appeared on television programs from CBS’s “The Early Show” to ABC’s “Good Morning America.”