Written by Willy Russell Genre musical, biography Playwright Willy Russell Original language English language | Date premiered May 1974 (1974-May) First performance May 1974 Subject The Beatles Place premiered Everyman Theatre | |
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Characters The Beatles (Paul McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison and Ringo Starr), Bert Berns Similar Willy Russell plays, Other plays | ||
John, Paul, George, Ringo … and Bert is a 1974 musical by Willy Russell based on the story of The Beatles.
Contents
It premiered at the Everyman Theatre in Liverpool in May 1974 where it ran for eight weeks and later moved to the Lyric Theatre in London in August 1974, where it ran for a year and was later named "Best Musical of 1974" by the Evening Standard Theatre Awards and London Critics' awards. It featured the music of the Beatles performed by Barbara Dickson.
It also briefly ran in the United States in 1985.
Creative team
Original London Cast
Album
An Original Cast Recording album was released from RSO Records.
Side One
Side Two
Credits
Produced by Ian Samwell
Reaction
According to an interview with Creem magazine, George Harrison stated that he saw the play with Derek Taylor and greatly disliked it. He walked out while attending the London premiere and withdrew his permission to use his song "Here Comes The Sun". It was replaced with "Good Day Sunshine". After excerpts from the play were broadcast on BBC television, Paul McCartney criticized it for being biased against him and in favour of Lennon, objecting in particular to the suggestion that it was McCartney and not Lennon that was responsible for the break-up of The Beatles. McCartney blocked a proposed film version of the musical.