Musical biography of Beatles comes to Temecula

TEMECULA – Most people know 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 people 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” at the Old Town Temecula Community Theatre on April 30 and May 1 at 7:30 p.m. The musical is family-friendly.

Not all tribute bands are alike. This one portrays the Beatles – John Lennon (Nathaniel Bott), Paul McCartney (Christopher Overall), George Harrison (Jesse Wilder) and Ringo Starr (Axel Clarke) – 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 and 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 (Alxander Jon) 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.

This show is not just about reliving the breakthrough Ed Sullivan Show performance on Feb. 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.

This production is as historically 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.

Tickets ($25 to $37) may be purchased at http://www.temeculatheater.org or by calling toll-free (866) 653-8696. Old Town Temecula Community Theater is located at 42051 Main Street, Temecula.