Very disappointing. Not a west end show as its just a tribute band. Overpriced I wouldnt recommend it and I am a Beatles fan. - Ann
25 Mar 13
I would concur with this reviewers comments. As a Beatles 'nut' I was somewhat disappointed with this 'show'. It's very much a gig but without the gig atmosphere. I was expecting something akin to The Jersey Boys but it wasn't. Proceed with caution! - Kriss Shardlow
26 Feb 13
My wife and I were given Let It Be tickets as a Christmas
present. After reading the reviews we went open minded know
lung we thought what to expect. However we were still
shocked at the half empty theatre (we refused a free up grade
to the front 'mosh pitting' isn't my style since my knee
operation)
First act is dull and boring despite the fabulous
Lennon/McCartney songs quite a feat! It dispenses with the
time period The Beatles did play live together.
The second half is patchy and lacks punch, spark and any
humour a parade of terrible costumes and awful wigs which
do a cast that bear no resemblance psychically or vocally to
the Beatles no favours at all, given the number of far superior
Beatles tribute acts out there and there is no acting involved I
was mystified as to the choice of musicians playing the Fab
Four a right handed, slitty eyed, gaunt faced Macca and a
small schoolboy playing Ringo beggar belief.
Just an ok covers band, needs recasting desperately
poor tribute to the wonderful music of the Beatles. - mathewP
31 Jan 13
Ignore any negative reviews you may have read the entire show was fabulous the boys worked very hard and kept the atmosphere going from the start. From a musical perspective they were very accurate and well balanced on the mixing, voices were good too. No they are not the originals but they certainly got the audience moving and we both thought that they did the Beatles proud. Go and see it and just enjoy the great Beatles legacy. - Bob Whitebeard Luck
14 Jan 13
After reading the poor reviews we were dreading what we were about to see. However my wife and I thoroughly enjoyed the show. The musicianship was faultless as were the vocals especially "Paul".
I have seen Beatles tribute bands before but this was in a different league with a wide range of songs and a cleverly programmed AV production to narrate the proceedings. No half empty Theatre on this particular performance.
Go see it and make up your own mind!! - N Buckingham
07 Jan 13
Absolutely brilliant. Would definitely go again. Does not warrant bad reviews. Costumes and music superb. - Helen Hearne
05 Jan 13
A very disappointing experience and, in line with many other reviewers, I considered this poor value for money with seats at £55. It was, as others have said, no more than a (good) tribute band singing Beatles songs one after the other. It was not musical theatre and again, like others, I do not believe this production belongs in the West End. I could, and should, have seen something equally as good, for half the cost, and none of the travel expenses, provincially. I hope this is NOT a long running show and strongly advise others to give it a miss. - Karen Mortimer
03 Jan 13
I think the problem with this show is in managing expectations- I was attending a West End Theatre, at West End prices, and I expected a West End SHOW, with a storyline, acting, maybe even dancing - what I saw was a (good) tribute band chronologically working their way through the Beatles' songs, which were strung together with various original newsreel footage - which went round in a loop so we saw the same bits more than once! It was annoying that "Paul McCartney" was not left handed - a major distraction.
I've no criticism of the performance per se - the music was great, the lighting and special effects superb, it's just not what was expecting and I don't think a pure tribute act belongs in the West End. - Sue
21 Dec 12
I really enjoyed the show. Cannot understand negative whinges, some people seem hard to please, what did they expect the real Beatles! I thought the group did a really good job, the packed audience seem to love it, need I say more. - Stu. Wilson
12 Dec 12
Just terrible fake beatles concert, you just cannot call it musical and price for the value is just ridiculous. - Arturs Buss
10 Dec 12
Terrible show, which if there was any justice would of long since been killed off by word of mouth and good taste,it really wasn't my idea of a fun night out, I could of had more fun lancing the cats boil and we don't even have a cat!!
Ticketmaster shame on them are doing their utmost to stifle freedom of speech. They remove almost all reviews that contain critical comments, if you don't believe me try it out for yourself, but I would advise against anyone trying out Let It Be theirselves..
It is pure hogwash!!
- J Ross
06 Dec 12
Music was performed well but that's all that can be said about it. No theatre, no acting, no change in stage sets. I suggest you buy a good CD or DVD and save a lot of money chats to be the worst West End show I've been to and I've seen most. - Lindy
02 Dec 12
Take the advice of a wise man, Pop into you local pub next time a Beatles tribute band is on loads cheaper and loads better show than this, This is the worst west end show I have ever had the misfortune to see.
Sounds and looks nothing like The Beatles, cheap looking costumes and the silliest looking wigs I've seen ever in a professional production, it is like wonder this is disowned by the real Beatles and is going ahead against their wishes!!
- Pete
29 Nov 12
Please take my advice
Pop to you local pub next time a beatles tribute band is on loads cheaper and propably just as good
This is the worst west end show I have ever had the misfortune to see - John
23 Nov 12
A really great show. OK it was just a tribute band but they looked like them , They sung like them and they created a truely outstanding atmosphere with everybody dancing and singing along with all the songs we all know so well. We all know the story of the Beatles so I have no idea why people would rather sit through 2 hours of stories etc etc when they can experience 2 hours of such great songs. You can see that YOKO had in influence though with most of the songs Lennon songs while the great Mcartney songs were missing. Hello goodbye was always better than all your need is love but not sung. And what about "Free as a bird" . One song that really would have done so much. - Steve
18 Nov 12
Good Beatles tribute act, no more than that. An insult to the West End theatre. If we had wanted to see a Beatles tribute act we could have gone to a wedding. Cost of tickets for this "no show" is a disgrace. - Liz
10 Nov 12
enjoyed singing along to the beatles hits but if you are planning to see this show you must except that you are going to see a tribute band, there is no acting, dancing or story involved in this show, I was disappointed in that although I did enjoy the music. - Karen Taylor
04 Nov 12
I was around in the 1060's and fell in love with George the quiet one, and grew up and their music grew with me. when i read about let it be i had to go see it, i really wish i hadn't. the cast i saw no one looked like any of the Beatles and they didn't sound like the Beatles either no story and songs played with out any passion. feel ripped off and that the memory of my idols and childhood had been insulted
avoid believe the bad reviews not the good. - Linda Green
24 Oct 12
Very good show , does not deserve the poor reviews. Seats were expensive but the show seemed very well put together and the four artists worked very well together. A good sing song and a good night out. - Ian Taylor
17 Oct 12
Very disappointed at the show. I thought more effort would have gone in to a show celebrating 50 years of the best band in the world!
Instead, we saw a right handed Macca and a set of mish-mash muso's from other tribute bands who are obviously not gigging anymore - I wonder why?
The production team obviously couldn't have had many decent band members to choose from as the one's in the shown didn't gel together at all - surely the production team could have done better?? - Matt & Karen
16 Oct 12
just seen this show 13/10/12 verry dissapointing bought 2 £60.00 ticketts just to watch a tribute band the people who put this show on must br laughing all the way to the bank must be the mostinexpensive show to produce in the west end no props no stage movement all in all cost me £62.00 on train fair £120.00 ticketts £70.00 lunch would have rather given the money for help for heroes - steve hall
16 Oct 12
Really really disappointing. This show should not be in the West End. It was like watching a tribute act, there was no story just 4 crap lookalikes standing on the stage singing Beatle songs. I thought it would be the story of the Beatles from the Cavern to when they split including all the dramas but No, unfortunately not! Thank god we only had £40.00 seats and not the top price ones. Such a waste of money, many better musicals/shows available in London.
- David & Neal
06 Oct 12
A nice evening but not much more than an evening with a good tribute band. This is too expensive for a tribute band & as such was disappointing. Musically they can all play but apart from a few narrations over the PA just a tribute band at the end of the day. - MarkW
06 Oct 12
This was professionally put together and if all you want to hear is the Beatles greatest hits its very good. However it has no soul or passion. The music is played to order and every note becomes a parody. Backbeat which Mr. Coveney has mentioned, was a far superior Beatles story focusing on their early day's in Hamburg. The music was raw and powerful and the story was absorbing. Rumor has it Backbeat hits Broadway next year. - John Ormond
04 Oct 12
sue and i had a great night at the prince of wales.ok it isnt a musical as such and there is no real story to the evening but hey you cant go wrong with over 20 of the best beatles songs in a lovely atmosphere.every one on the night we visited were up singing along with the band,great night was had by all. - jimmy gee
30 Sep 12
One would have thought at a west end theatre, they would have least found a left handed guitarist to play Paul.
Totaly boring show. - Brian Epstine
30 Sep 12
What a rip off! A beatles puppet tribute band. This is not a theatre show and shouldn't be on a West End stage with West End ticket prices. The creators and producers must be laughing their socks off. I was utterly shocked at how bad this production was. No passion, no excitement. It doesn't represent the Beatles at all. Tourists - go and see a good play and don't waste your money on this. - amber
26 Sep 12
Its like an amateur production who are just trying to do a tribute show. Although it would be ok at small venues, for a big theatre and at big theatre prices, it is so not worth it. - Andrew
26 Sep 12
In a funny way, the Beatles’ status as ‘national institution’ has trivialised their actual talent. So now and again it’s good to be reminded that they are every bit as good as the hype. The Rolling Stones, The Beach Boys and The Kinks all produced great songs, but only the Beatles had the skill and dedication to continually reinvent themselves over a relatively short period. And in the process, they managed to churn out hit after hit after hit.
Let It Be, the new show at the Prince of Wales Theatre in London, takes those hits and runs with them. It’s billed as a ‘musical’, but it’s not. There’s no story, no history, no context. Perhaps it would have been naff to have The Beatles meet Mamma Mia! but at least it would have shown some kind of creativity. As it is, this show is nothing more or less than a high-class tribute act.
On the plus side, it is all hugely enjoyable. The performers’ talents as musicians and singers — everything is live — gives you a hint as to what it must have been like to have been at a real Beatles concert. (I am far too young, naturally.) Starting at a Royal Variety Performance, introduced by an unseen Tony Blackburn, the band takes us through their back catalogue, changing costumes (and dodgy wigs) when required and ending the evening on — what else? — Let It Be, the title song from their final album.
On the night I saw it, the rotating company of performers consisted of Reuven Gershon (John), Emanuele Angeletti (Paul), Stephen Hill (George) and Gordon Elsmore (Ringo). When interacting with the audience, their accents occasionally wavered, but for the actual songs, vocally they got pretty close. ‘Fifth Beatle’ Ryan Alex Farmery was on hand with backing instruments for the more complex numbers.
In terms of songs, it would be quicker to list the ones they didn’t play — Yellow Submarine and I Am The Walrus were conspicuous by their absence. But pretty much everything else was what you might expect to hear, including a few I wasn’t familiar with (Two of Us springs to mind). Memorable highlights included All You Need is Love, Eleanor Rigby, Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band and Stephen Hill’s electrifying recreation of While My Guitar Gently Weeps. Psychedelic visuals accompanied most of the band’s late ‘60s offerings, while smaller tunes like Blackbird and Here Comes The Sun were played acoustically in front of a darkened stage.
Reviewing a show like this is a bit pointless. My criticism that it is not a ‘proper’ musical is offset by the brilliance of the music on offer and the obvious enjoyment of the audience (with the notable exception of some grumpy-looking theatre critics). It’s a show that will do very well with tourists, and I’m sure it will go on to tour the provinces very successfully.
But is it a memorable piece of theatre in itself? Not in the slightest.
- Mark Campbell
