'In My Life' Beatles tribute comes to Hemmens March 4
"In My Life - A Musical Theatre Tribute to the Beatles" is the nationally touring musical biography of the Beatles through the eyes of manager Brian Epstein, featuring the live music of renowned tribute band, Beatles For Sale. "In My Life" comes to the Hemmens Cultural Center in Elgin at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 4.
More than just a Beatles tribute concert, "In My Life" gives the audience a chance to "be there" at pivotal moments in the extraordinary career of the Beatles: Liverpool's legendary Cavern Club, "The Ed Sullivan Show," Shea Stadium, Abbey Road Studios and the final live performance on the rooftop of their Apple Corps offices. With manager Brian Epstein serving as narrator, "In My Life" allows the audience to get a glimpse inside the world of the Beatles from their point of view, as well as hear some of the greatest songs ever written. Historical settings such as the Cavern Club are established on stage with videos and images which play behind the actors and musicians on a video screen.
With their tight harmonies, flawless renditions, custom-tailored costumes, vintage instruments, Liverpudlian dialect and precise attention to detail, they recreate the magic of the Beatles, including the Fab Four's cheeky personalities and familiar onstage banter.
"In My Life" takes the audience back to February 1964 when America watched the Beatles for the first time on "The Ed Sullivan Show," playing "I Want to Hold Your Hand." As the band progresses through the Beatles' various musical stages, the audience reexperiences the psychedelic era of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, the creation of the haunting "Blackbird" and the raucous rock 'n' roll of "Revolution."
The production portrays the Beatles - John Lennon (Jonathon Fickes), Paul McCartney (Joshua Jones), George Harrison (Robert Berg) and Ringo Starr (Richard Lewis) - as authentically as possible, from their singing to the myriad guitars used throughout the band's decadelong career. Show promoters say listening to songs like "Penny Lane" or "I Want to Hold Your Hand" from this tribute band is almost like listening to the original icons themselves. The cast members are age appropriate for the Beatles, between 19 and 30 years old.
"The show delivers!" said the L.A. Times. "If you see one tribute show, see this one - smart and loads of fun," said the O.C. Register. "This is the ticket for you," said the Idaho Statesman. "The most original of all the shows on the Beatles," wrote the San Diego Theatre Review.
Tickets are $35-$75 and may be purchased by phone at (8470 931-5900, at the box office or online at www.hemmens.org. The Hemmens Cultural Center is at 45 Symphony Way, Elgin. The show is appropriate for all ages.