Actor playing Lennon happy to just let it be
Although Reuven Gershon was born after the Beatles broke up, he has been singing their songs since he was a teen.
Now, the Birmingham, England native is proud to portray John Lennon in the show Let It Be, which plays at the Sony Centre on Friday and Saturday. Gershon visited the Beatles museum in Liverpool, when he was 11 years old, where he purchased A Spaniard in the Works, one of Lennon’s books of drawings and stories.
“It was quite a hard read at that age. Later, I found it hilarious. He’s a very funny guy,” says Gershon, who has been with the show since its inception in 2012.
It played London’s West End before a run on Broadway, a British tour and its current Canadian and U.S. tour.
Lennon’s sense of fun is very apparent in the show, Gershon says. “I take a lot of pride in portraying John as closely as I possibly can. It’s a personal thing for me to portray him.”
The tour began Jan. 30 in Charlottetown and winds up in Vancouver in late March, with stopovers in the U.S. in between.
What is the challenge of playing John Lennon?
The challenge is just to do a good portrayal, an honest portrayal, which is what I think I do.
It is also a challenge to put on a show, making sure the crowd has a good time, hit the points that get the crowd going.
How did you prepare for the show? I’ve done lots of theatre before and had to prepare for roles. I have been Buddy Holly ( Four Steps to Heaven, Buddy, Rock and Roll Heaven). Because I was into the Beatles and John Lennon as a kid, all of the preparation was done then, listing to the music, knowing their story, watching their movies. I was preparing for it then.
Favourite song?
They are all great songs that he wrote. Just like Paul McCartney wrote great songs. That’s the beauty of the Beatles, you can enjoy all of it.
What’s the show about?
It goes through their whole career from the Cavern to the rooftop. We tell the story in terms of the music produced. It is not a play, there’s no scenes, no tension, no disagreements, or their breakup — none of that. The most important part of the show is
Let it Be. the music. As soon as the audience sees the Sgt. Pepper outfits, they know what they’ll hear. The story is for each individual person to remember themselves young. For young people, it is to explore what it would have been like to watch the Beatles.
What do you like about John?
I love the sound of his voice — he hated his voice. I love his speaking voice as well. I like the things he had to say, positive on the whole. He was an outspoken person.
What has it been like touring Canada in the winter?
It’s wonderful. We don’t get much snow in London anymore. Canada is a beautiful place.