If the music of the Beatles is your thing then make your way to the El Portal Monroe/Forum Theatre for “The Stars of Beatlemania In WHAT IF?” running through Aug. 4 in the heart of the NoHo Arts District.
What if December 8th, 1980 never happened and John Lennon was still alive? The Beatles probably would gather in a small antiseptic rehearsal room somewhere and try to re-capture the magic.
Taking place in 2013, the 50th anniversary of their first hit, “Please, Please Me,” this reunion begins as a rehearsal in drummer Ringo Starr’s basement and continues into Liverpool’s Cavern Club, where the Beatles played live and got their first big break in the early 1960s.
When today’s Mop Tops decide to put-on a secret show for their closest friends and fans, twists and turns emerge as do new arrangements and dramatic hurdles and stories.
This re-staging of the original “Stars of Beatlemania” features the original cast members from the #1 National Beatlemania tour in America.
Some of the songs performed by the band in the First Act are: “She Loves You,” “I’ll Follow The Sun,” “Till There Was You,” “I’m A Loser,” “It’s Only Love,” “Norwegian Wood,” “Hide Your Love Away,” and “Eight Days A Week.”
The music is not merely uplifting, but emotional and spiritual in nature with a dash of the blues thrown in for good measure.
The Second Act, set at the Cavern Club, features, “Here Comes The Sun,” “Across The Universe,” “Yesterday,” “If Not For You,” “A Little Help From My Friends,” “Real Love,” “While My Guitar Gently Weeps,” “Saw Her Standing There,” and “Hey Jude.”
The setting is intimate and personal, and the music in the Second Act incredibly enthusiastic and eclectic for four older men attempting to regurgitate genius. The room is alive with the sound and feel of songs, egos, souls, hearts and voices coming back to life. And, oh, what an existence it is.
The show touches on the Beatles’ incredible maturity and productivity as a band and an artistic entity. The 39 Top Forty hits in eight years amid the torrid turbulence of not only the decade in which they lived, but their own rabbit hole, suggests a courage and strength few musical acts before or after possessed.
This Beatlemania also touches on not only the foursome’s early years, but the Sergeant Pepper era and each band member’s solo career.
The only fault is that there could have been more music.
Songs like, “Strawberry Fields,” “All You Need Is Love,” “The Long And Winding Road,” “Back In The USSR” and “A Day In The Life” would have made for a staggering show.
But more than enough there is for any self-effacing Fab Four Fanatic.
Rollo Sandoval (Ringo Starr) is funny, convincing and the brunt of the humor with charm and aplomb. He also plays one hell of a set of drums.
David Brighton (George Harrison) is as graceful and spiritual as his counterpart.
Jeff Toczynski (Paul McCartney) gives a portrayal of strength and substance that crystallizes the vision of the show.
But it is David Leon (John Lennon), who co-produced the show, in his resplendent wit and humor that steals this Beatlemania. Leon’s performance is startling not only for its musical prowess, but a stage presence and confidence that makes it important. This is a musician not afraid to act and vice versa.
Leon, who starred in the Broadway and motion picture production of Beatlemania before playing the Shubert and Pantages theaters, is unafraid and cherishes every moment on stage. Without Leon’s comments, jokes and remarks on the boards this show would not be what it is.
“The Stars of Beatlemania In WHAT IF?” is a beautifully crafted acoustic ode to the most famous and popular musical act of all time. But this smaller Beatlemania is not intimidated by its protagonists’ history nor its larger counterpart’s track record.
Thursday and Friday at 8pm.
Saturday at 3pm and 8pm.
Sunday Matinee at 3pm.
Admission: $46; $42 for Seniors and Students.
Tickets/Information: 1-818-508-4200.
Monroe/Forum Theatre at The El Portal Theatre, 5269 Lankershim Blvd.,North Hollywood, CA 91601 (Corner of Weddington) (Across from the Federal Bar).
