Smash hit musical is a retelling of Beatles story through the eyes of manager Brian Epstein and features renowned tribute band, Abbey Road; Buchanan HS String Quartet performs with show

FRESNO, CA (10/09/2012) Almost everyone knows that The Beatles are one of the most acclaimed bands in rock and roll history because their music has the hypnotic qualities that make teenage girls scream and artists today and yesterday cite them as one of their influences.

While many of us don’t have the opportunity to see the two surviving Beatles Paul McCartney or Ringo Starr live in concert these days, the closest thing to watching an actual Beatles concert will be In My Life – A Musical Theatre Tribute to the Beatles October 20 at the Tower Theatre for the Performing Arts at 7:30 pm. The multi-media musical is family friendly and the Buchanan High School String Quartet from Clovis will accompany the touring musicians on stage with three songs. 

You mean just another tribute band? No, because not all tribute bands are alike.

This one portrays the Beatles—John Lennon (Gregory Wilmot), Paul McCartney (Christopher Overall), George Harrison (Jesse Wilder) and Ringo Starr (Axel Clark)—as authentically as possible, from their singing to the myriad of guitars used throughout the band’s decade-long career. 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 22 - 32 years of age.

While the great repertoire of songs bind this musical together, the audience also gets the opportunity to relive the most important moments of The Beatles’ epic legacy, which spans the entire 1960s period. The actors that portray the band members connect with the crowd through their lovable sense of humors and cheeky banter.

As one watches The Beatles progress throughout that decade, the band's manager Brian Epstein (Edan Freiberger) makes his presence known throughout the musical, narrating his side of the story starting from his discovery of the Fab Four at the Cavern Club in Liverpool up until after the release of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. Epstein plays a very important role in this show, not only because he was the man who discovered the group, but he also influenced their personal touch with audiences and, of course, their fashion sense. Who could forget the image of the four dressed up in suits on their arrival at New York’s JFK Airport in 1964?

As one watches The Beatles progress throughout that decade, the band's manager Brian Epstein (Edan Freiberger) makes his presence known throughout the musical, narrating his side of the story starting from his discovery of the Fab Four at the Cavern Club in Liverpool up until after the release of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. Epstein plays a very important role in this show, not only because he was the man who discovered the group, but he also influenced their personal touch with audiences and, of course, their fashion sense. Who could forget the image of the four dressed up in suits on their arrival at New York’s JFK Airport in 1964?

This show is not just about reliving the breakthrough Ed Sullivan Show performance on February 9, 1964 that 78 million people watched on television, or reviving their deafening and packed Shea Stadium concert in 1965, it also touches on the band’s intimate moments in the recording studio. The audience observes the four in the studio as they struggle to reconcile their creative differences after Epstein’s death in 1967, a couple months after the release of Sgt. Pepper.

 

As for inspiration for the musical, Tom Maher, one of the co-producers alongside Andy Nagle, said that a friend gave him a biography on Epstein, which was the basis of the “In My Life” musical.

“It took a while to get the pacing, but we are happy with the results,” Maher said.

Maher added that he wanted to make the portrayal as accurate as possible, with the band using the exact gear from the box amps to the guitars. Even the costumes they used throughout the performance—from the suits to the ensembles they wore during their Sgt. Pepper’s period—mirror the originals designs.

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 Corp 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 a video screen. The show performed at Warnor's Theatre in Fresno in January of 2011.

Four Beatles tribute musicians and actors were cast to portray the Fab Four in the musical.  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.” Progressing through their various musical stages, the audience re-experiences the psychedelic era of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, the creation of the haunting “Blackbird” and the raucous rock and roll of “Revolution.”

The San Diego Theatre Review called the show "the most original of all Beatles shows" and a "flat out great show!". The Los Angeles Times said "the show delivers," and the Idaho Statesman said "this is the ticket for you!"

The Buchanan High School String Quartet will perform "Imagine" and "Eleanor Rigby" with the Beatles musicians. The musical reenacts a scene when Paul McCartney played "Yesterday" for the first time in studio for Beatles' producer George Martin, explaining that the song came to McCartney fully composed in his sleep and that he envisioned a string quartet accompaniment. During this scene, the quartet joins the musician portraying McCartney to perform the song.

The quartet is made up of Tina Liang (first violin), Derek Zhang (second violin), Sean Calinao (viola) and Victoria Arias (cello). The quartet will also perform with the Beatles musicians on the February 19 "Good Day" morning television show on KMPH Fox. The students perform locally at weddings and other events as the "High Strung String Quintet" and may be reached at 997 0065 or heidifranklin@cusd.org.

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In My Life - A Musical Theatre Tribute to the Beatles is the award-winning musical biography of the Beatles through the eyes of manager Brian Epstein and featuring the live music of renowned tribute band, Abbey Road. The show is widely considered by industry insiders to be the most unique Beatles show in decades. The Buchanan High School String Quartet will accompany the touring musicians on three ballads. The multi-media musical plays at Tower Theatre on Saturday, October 20 at 7:30 p.m.Tickets are $29/$39 and may be purchased online at www.towertheatrefresno.com or phoning 559. 485.9050 or going to the box office Monday - Friday between 10 am and 5 pm at the corner of Olive and Weshon. Tower Theatre is located at 815 East Olive Avenue in Fresno 93728.