For the first time in London after the great success at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, A Life With the Beatles is an amazing Magical Mystery Tour of the Beatles’ history, focused on the night of the recording of A Day in the Life, the song that closes their most famous album, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.
This incredible story is told from Neil Aspinall’s perspective, the Beatles’ road manager since the early days in Liverpool, the only one who was always at their side, behind the scenes and away from limelight, from 1961 to the 1970 break-up, and who later became the CEO of Apple Corps.
He’s the only one who can tell the whole story. A tale that deserves to be told, because we can grow only knowing the tale of the past from men and women who has been involved.
A Life With the Beatles will recall the Fab Four’s history with this unique account. It won't be a nostalgic tale, but a celebration of what the Beatles represented for that generation and the ones who follow. A hour in the life of Sgt Pepper and Neil Aspinall involving the audience all the way in a tour of 60s memorabilia, anecdotes and insight.
To thank for the love the Beatles gave the world. To maintain the emotions and the feelings of the past. Funny and moving like any memory of the youth. Full of energy and music.
The play was written by Italian playwright Davide Verazzani, translated into English by Sabrina Macchi, directed by Andy Corelli Jones and performed by the ultra-energetic Ian Sexon. For some of us among ‘the olds,’ the Beatles provided the lush soundtrack of our lives. From first love (I Want to Hold Your Hand) to wedding song (All You Need Is Love) to funeral music (In My Life), the Fab Four gave us the tunes and lyrics that remain permanently on our personal playlists.
The following is a review of this play from Broadway Baby:
So what a treat to hear a lot of those much-loved melodies and get a look at the behind-the-scenes history of how John, Paul, George and Ringo got together, and why they split apart, in the high-spirited, expertly acted solo bio-show A Life with the Beatles, playing at Sweet Venues Grassmarket. Glasgow actor Ian Sexon stars as longtime Beatles road manager Neil Aspinall, the man who drove the van, ironed the shirts, bounced the stalkers and soothed frayed nerves on hundreds of days and nights of international tours.
'I have witnessed the beginning and ending of everything at the same time,' says Aspinall in the show. 'I don’t know why I’m still alive.' (In real life, he isn’t, having died in 2008 at the age of 66.)
Often regarded as one of several men known as a 'fifth Beatle,' along with bounced drummer Pete Best, first manager Brian Epstein and longtime producer George Martin, Aspinall knew McCartney and Lennon as fellow 'Teddy Boys' in secondary school. Rewinding to those early years, bouncing from gig to gig before the hit records happened, Aspinall describes John and Paul as 'ambitious and scared, shameless and delicate.'
By: Elaine Liner
Source: Broadway Baby