© Liverpool Royal Court
The show follows Lennon’s life from Woolton Church Fete to New York, stopping off in Hamburg and The Cavern along the way. All of the major players in the Beatle’s life appear, from his upbringing with Aunt Mimi to his later life with Yoko Ono.
Amongst many others the hits include: “All You Need Is Love”, “Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds”, “In My Life”, “Hard Days Night” and, of course, “Imagine”.
John Power will be taking on the role of the older Lennon, who acts as the show’s narrator. Growing up near Penny Lane, Power went to the same schools as Lennon (Dovedale and Quarry Bank) before becoming a key member of the band The La’s (“Way Out”, “There She Goes”). He then went on to form Cast who had huge Britpop success with hits such as “Alright”, “Sandstorm” and “Walkaway”. The band split in 2001 but recently reformed and released their much anticipated fifth album “Troubled Times” in 2012.
The role is one that he is relishing: “Lennon’s a hero, and when they asked me they seemed to want to talk more about capturing the spirit of Lennon than just trying to imitate him, which seemed to make more sense. I don’t profess to be an actor but I am looking forward to the whole experience and who better a role to play than Lennon?”
The show will be back at The Royal Court following on from a successful run in 2010. Prior to that the show had not been performed in the city since its original run at The Everyman in 1982, from where it went to off Broadway and then back to London’s West End.
Writer/Director Bob Eaton is joined by Musical Director Howard Gray and the Liverpool born, New York based West End Lighting Designer Pete Bragg. Yoko Ono is supporting the show having agreed, along with Sony, to the use of all of the music in the show.
The show begins over August Bank Holiday Weekend which will be the first Liverpool International Music Festival.
Kevin Fearon, Chief Executive of Royal Court Liverpool, is delighted to have the show back: “To get John Power in to the show is a massive coup and it speaks volumes about the quality of the music and the pull that John Lennon still has over today’s musicians.”
Lennon will run at Liverpool’s Royal Court from from 23 August to 14 September.
