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Following on with the success of Lennon in 2013/14, the Royal Court has continued with Beatles mania with Let It Be. Happily very different from any previous outings about the four cheeky chaps from Liverpool, Let It Be is pure, uninterrupted hits from the group. Fans are encouraged to put on their best dancing shoes and flared trousers and head on down to the best music show in the city.
We start at the Cavern Club of course, where four not so confident kids are finding their feet and tentatively playing to lunchtime office workers. ‘I Saw Her Standing There’ and ‘Get Back’ are just a few from their selection of the early days.
The show is designed to take us through the history of their own magical mystery tour and as we progress through each decade we are thrown into song after song. From the balled ‘Blackbird’ to the brassier, rock and roll numbers – Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds’ and ‘Back in the USSR’.
It is a difficult job for any performer to take on such iconic roles, even harder when you have to play to their hometown. However, the cast of Let It Be do an extraordinary job and very quickly help bring the audience to their ease. It is nice to see each member of the group have their turn in the spotlight as this allowed Luke Roberts as Ringo to perform ‘I Wanna Be Your Man’.
As talented a singer as well as a drummer, Roberts is brilliant and along side Paul Mannion as George, these two shine. Confidence is something that these four do not lack and Paul Canning as Lennon and Emanuele Angeletti as McCartney are outstanding in their performances.
There is a strong party atmosphere helped by the marvellous lighting, costume and wigs. If you are in any doubt as to what era you are in at any point, then you just need to check how long the hair and sideburns are. Throughout there are various images and sequences played out on to a screen on the back of the stage, which again just adds to the layers of atmosphere already created by the remarkable live music.
There has not been a show quite like this before, and the cast do an amazing job of capturing a snapshot of one of the most iconic bands of its time.
***** Not to be missed.
Let It Be runs until 14 November 2015. For tickets and more information about the show, please see: http://www.royalcourtliverpool.co.uk/whats-on/let-it-be/