‘She Loves You, Yeah Yeah Yeah!’ Let it Be, Orchard Theatre, Dartford. 15.10.2018
I was back at the Orchard Theatre for the first press night, two shows in two days and the first show really knew how to kick start my week disposing all of my Monday blues!
Let it Be is a theatrical Concert that is based on the career of one of England’s most famous rock band, ‘The Beatles’ we follow them from 1962 to their breakup in 1970. The first act portrays the early version of the band, including their appearance at the Royal Variety Show in 1963, breaking the united states and Sgt Peppers Lonely hearts Club band, with the classics such as ‘I Wanna Hold Your Hand,’ ‘Penny Lane’ and ‘She Loves You;. The second act – which is brand new for the show in this current UK tour, comes after their break up in 1970, it creates a reunion that features songs that the band went on to make alone such as ‘Got My Mind Set On You‘ ‘Live and Let Die‘ and ‘Imagine.‘
I came into this show blind having missed it during its run on the West End, it was never personally one I was drawn to. That being said, my feet did not stop tapping throughout! It truly was an honorable tribute to a band that still loved by many today! You forget how many songs ‘The Beatles’ gave us and loved, there was not a still seat in the theatre for many were either ‘twisting’ or ‘shouting’ during each song – myself included. It was a reminder of the amazing music that once was, but is still embraced by the public today and welcomed! I left the venue enlighted and quickly putting a Beatles playlist on for my journey home.
The band tonight was as follows:
Paul McCartney – Emanuele Angeletti
George Harrison – John Brosnan
Ringo Starr – Ben Cullingworth
John Lennon – Michael Gagliano
No word of a doubt that these four players are not fans of the band, as tonight I was the closest I would ever been to seeing the band live! They all made it feel that we were transported back in time, with all their persona’s clearly influenced by the role they were playing. John Lennon performed by Michael Gagliano had the warming side to him, which he fed into the audience throughout each concert. For a iconic singer and writer, who was loved by many and sadly left to soon Michael is respectful to his personality which you could clearly see he cared for him as much as his fans did.
John Brosnan took on the role of Paul McCartney, if you put him next to the real Paul in a dark room and have them sing, it would be hard to depict who was actually singing as every note was if the real Paul took to the stage. But he also had his cheeky side that we all love about Paul today! His ‘Live and Let Die’ was a personal highlight for me that evening, as you can’t help but love that song.
Ben Cullingworth and John Brosnan brought Ringo Starr and George Harrison to life, Ben looked and spoke true to Ringo and I loved watching him play the drums in every number – cause yes they all play live on stage all instruments! John Brosnan’s guitar solo during ‘While My Guitar Gently Weeps’ was mesmerizing to watch and listen to, closing the second act with a bang!
I have loved ‘The Beatles’ before I took my seat, when leaving I came away adoring them and reminded of the great music they have given our society. It is the perfect evening to enjoy for the die hard fans, but also a chance to introduce the youth of today to some amazing rock ‘n’ roll tunes, they sure don’t make songs like they used to!
Let it Be plays at the Orchard Theatre until Saturday 20th October 2018 for all ticket information go here. It then completes it’s UK tour in Manchester next week for all ticket and show information head to their website here.
