Bob Eaton’s production of Lennon opened on Friday at Liverpool’s Royal Court Theatre.

I think it is true to say there was not an empty seat in the house.  Until the ovation, that is, when virtually every member of the audience was on their feet.

I can honestly say I have never seen such a unanimous, sustained and enthusiastic standing ovation.

I can also honestly say that, without exception, this was the best show of its kind I have ever seen.  Not just at the Royal Court but anywhere!

The story of John Lennon’s bitter-sweet life, from the cradle to the grave, is eloquently told through the medium of the songs he wrote and co-wrote with Paul McCartney.

And although none of these guys bore more than a passing resemblance to John, George, Paul and Ringo,  it is testament to their acting skills that they convincingly took on the looks and mannerisms of the fab four characters they are playing.

Andrew Schofield was exceptional in the role of the older Lennon, as was Daniel Healy playing the younger mop-headed John.  It was a tall order being asked to not only portray one of the most famous singers Liverpool has produced – but to sound like him too!  Both were outstanding in matching the vocals during the various stages of Lennon’s iconic career.

When Chris Grahamson let his hair down and lolled his head from side to side he ‘became’ Ringo.  A brilliant guitarist, Paul Mannion was more than convincing as the taciturn George, and Stephen Fletcher had more McCartneyisms than Paul McCartney himself.  Right down to the soulful round eyes and the famous Paul pout!

When they stepped up to the microphones, it was amazing that they actually “sounded” like the Beatles, not just vocally, but right down to the authentic tonality and intonation of the instruments.  All credit to musical director Howard Gray.

I had to keep reminding myself that this is a group of talented actors who also happen to be accomplished musicians.  They performed more than forty songs spanning the early Beatles right though the Sgt Pepper era in a way that would put the very best of today’s Beatles tribute bands to shame and then seamlessly adapting to the post-Beatles Lennon classics.

In many ways this play wrote itself.  After all, inspiration for the songs was drawn from Lennon and McCartney’s life experiences. The real skill, however, is in the way writer/director Bob Eaton has woven it all together, cleverly inserting just enough dialogue in between the songs to tell the story.

There is of course plenty of humour, including all those famous Lennon one-liners.  There are poignant moments too and the shooting itself was sensitively handled with a backdrop of projected black and white images showing the adult John Lennon fading to the teenager, the child, the baby and then to darkness.

Below are a few photographs from this brilliant show, which runs until November 13th.  It is one you really should not miss.

Tickets available from the box office or the  Royal Court Theatre Liverpool website More reviews on the Liverpool Echo site.

Click for a larger image. Best viewed full screen (Press F11)

Certain words can strike dread into the hearts of theatre goers.

Like when a show is billed as “A, B and C (substitute names of known actors) supported by children from the XYZ School of Dance”.  You just can’t help thinking back to those torturous times when you sat through the local dance school’s annual show watching your son/daughter/nephew/niece  perform their faltering routines.  And after the show, everyone would say: “Aw. Didn’t they do well” before heading for the pub to recover.

Well this time there is no need for dread because the youngsters treading the boards at Liverpool’s Royal Court Theatre last night didn’t just do well – they were bloody marvellous!

The (A, B and C) known actors were, as always, extremely entertaining. Keiran Cunningham as the bus driver. Mark Moraghan and Pauline Daniels as the warring teachers.  Stephen Fletcher and Georgina White as the love-struck student teachers. We were treated to the polished comedic performances we have come to expect of the Royal Court regulars and they showed us their singing and dancing talents too.

Georgina, on the other hand, showed us a whole lot more besides, as  she stepped out of her dress to reveal a skimpy baywatch-orange swimsuit!

But Our Day Out the Musical was all about the kids.  A group of the most talented 12 to 16 year-olds you’ll find anywhere, they flawlessly performed energetic dance routines and sung pretty much all through the show without missing a single note.

They were extremely convincing as unruly remedial pupils and you can’t help but marvel at the amount of discipline it must have actually taken to portray such an undisciplined bunch!

The limelight however, fell on jack-the-lad characters Chris Mason and Jack Rigby, and on Sophie Fraser and Abby Mavers who played schoolgirls who had a crush on their handsom teacher. All four did full justice to the remarkable insight of Willy Russell’s script and I’m certain we will see a lot more of all four on the stage and screen in the future.

Under the directorship of the talented Bob Eaton, the show was choreographed to perfection within an imaginative stage set comprising dozens of cubes that effortlessly became a classroom, coach, castle, beach and fun fair.

Our Day Out the Musical runs at the Royal Court until October 6th.

If you like comedies, go and see it.  If you like musicals, go and see it. If you like theatre go and see it.

If you don’t like any of the above, go and see it. I promise – you’ll be converted.

Production photographs by Dave Evans, courtesy of the Royal Court Liverpool

A few shots from this year’s Mathew Street Music Festival held at Liverpool over the bank holiday weekend.

(Click images to enlarge)

xx