Backbeat Reviews

Musicals

Average customer review: 4.0 star rating (4.2 Stars)

Number of reviews: 6

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5.0 star rating P Mason from London

LOVED IT!

Went to see it this week and had a great night out. The music was awesome, the singers were brilliant and thought it was really well written. Highly recommended.

5.0 star rating Sean Perrin from London

TERRIFIC SHOW

I went into the theatre expecting to see a silly but enjoyable musical. What I got was a very moving play about the early Beatles and the all too short life of Stuart Sutcliffe with a musical on top. There really was not a silly or weak element in the whole production. To start - the accents, the banter, and the musicianship of the five actors playing the Beatles (later 6 when Ringo appears) were pitch perfect. There is an uncompromising and edgy rawness exposed in the relationship between the lads and this is reflected in the music. Everytime a song is played (to accent the story) I felt like getting up to dance. By the end of the show there is a 10 minute performance of music and everyone is on their feet. It was truly a moving moment as Stuart suddenly appears onstage again to perform with the band. The staging is fantastic and when you wander out of the the Duke of York theatre onto St Martin's Lane you feel you have just left a club in Hamburg. A wonderful night.

5.0 star rating Sean Perrin from London

TERRIFIC SHOW

I went into the theatre expecting to see a silly but enjoyable musical. What I got was a very moving play about the early Beatles and the all too short life of Stuart Sutcliffe with a musical on top. There really was not a silly or weak element in the whole production. To start - the accents, the banter, and the musicianship of the five actors playing the Beatles (later 6 when Ringo appears) were pitch perfect. There is an uncompromising and edgy rawness exposed in the relationship between the lads and this is reflected in the music. Everytime a song is played (to accent the story) I felt like getting up to dance. By the end of the show there is a 10 minute performance of music and everyone is on their feet. It was truly a moving moment as Stuart suddenly appears onstage again to perform with the band. The staging is fantastic and when you wander out of the the Duke of York theatre onto St Martin's Lane you feel you have just left a club in Hamburg. A wonderful night.

5.0 star rating Anonymous from Anytown, AT 55555

BRILLIANT BACKBEAT!

If you want to know what the Beatles were like before Fame and fortune this is the closest you are ever going to get. The story is the bond between John Lennon and his art school friend Stuart Sutcliffe which is in danger of being broken when Stuart falls for the lovely Astrid.(Andrew Knott, Nick Blood and Ruta Gedmintas). This leaves Paul McCartney as the driving force of the group who is trying to drag Lennon back to the fold. The play is so atmospheric with great costumes and design. The sets realy evoke the spirit of the period. As to the music, when the group opened up with 'Johnny B. Goode' I felt as if i'd punched in the chest by a hurricane. Raw & Powerful. Great performances all round but special mention must go to Daniel Healy as Paul McCartney with stunning vocals, musicianship and characterization. The highlight of the play for me was the 'love me do scene with Lennon & McCartney, moving, funny and is the moment when John realises where his destiny lies. Must See!!

4.0 star rating Audrey Hackett from London

INCREDIBLE TALENT ON DISPLAY

An absolute must for any Beatles fan but an absolute delight for everyone. What is great is that, for a staged production, the banter is genuinely funny and flows quite naturally. John Lennon (Andrew Knott) steals the show making us laugh throughout and almost bringing us to tears as he grieves. You leave with the feeling that it really is the start of an epic journey for this band and you want to go with them to watch it play out. The clothes, the staging of Stuart as he paints, the music (of course), the die hard Beatles fans in the audience and Macca's (Daniel Healy) trademark head bob combine to make this a really special night out. This is where Britain has stashed its talent and the boys have it in spades.

1.0 star rating D. Robertson from London

THUMBS DOWN FOR BACKBEAT

Saw this show last night - well half of it anyway. I was hugely disappointed thought it was absolutely terrible - script was awful, acting was awful! Ridiculous amount of smoke and way too many badly acted sex scenes. Music was good then that was only to be expected. I have never before left a show at the interval but there is a first time for everything.

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