SpanishWHAT: Backbeat / Stage Adaptation
WHY: A Totally Must-See
TICKETS: Ahmanson Theatre Los Angeles
Photos by Craig Schwartz
contact: CTGM[at]Centertheatregroup.org
Backbeat tell us the story when The Beatles weren’t the Fab Four, but five. It’s Pete Best instead of Ringo. It’s about the intense friendship between Lennon and Stu. It’s Astrid Kirchherr starring a relationship that gives the sensation that is meant to break-up bands (and this was way before Yoko). It’s the transition from the Teddy Boy Hairstyle to the Moptop. Backbeat is about The Beatles playing six hour gigs at Hamburg’s stripper clubs. It’s about the evolution of their fashion sense from leather jackets to collarless suits. It’s about an underage George Harrison, and tells how they reached Brian Epstein. Backbeat draws the first steps that the musical world took to make the world a better place.
Backbeat is a stage musical based on the film by the same title. The musical is directed by David Leveaux and the screenplay was adapted by Iain Softley and Stephen Jeffreys. It tells the story of what happened before The Beatlemania. A really good mise-en-scene, great acting, and an adaptation that’s pretty close to the real deal -with the exclusion of some details here and there-.
The play makes you feel nostalgic, in love, euphoric, and a little sad for a moment. It makes you dance and even cry. If you’re a fan of The Beatles you’ll enjoy this journey down memory lane through timeless songs and superb acting. If you ignore the story about Stu Sutcliffe you’ll be amused, and you’ll also learn a lot.
Backbeat has the perfect formula to make you go to the theater. It won’t give you the same feeling as if you were watching a Beatles’ tribute band, not at all, this is a different type of show, it’s about real actors that also use musical instruments to tell you a story.
Right now Backbeat is rocking Los Angeles until March 1st in the Ahmanson Theatre. I can only tell you two things, if you’re in LA or not (because they could go to a city near you): if you go, be prepared to have a fun time while you twist and shout.
‘
