'Beatles' Coming To Santa Cruz Stage

PHOTO: Nate Bott (“John”), Axel Clarke (“Ringo”), Jesse Wilder (“George”) and Chris Paul Overall (“Paul”), credit: Michelle Fairless.

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From Andy Nagle:

Almost everyone knows that The Beatles are one of the most acclaimed bands in rock and roll history because their music has the hypnotic qualities that made teenage girls scream and artists today and yesterday cite them as one of their influences.

While many of us 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, which performs at the Rio Theatre in Santa Cruz on Friday, Sept. 11 at 7:30 pm. The Marina High School string quartet will join the cast on stage for five songs.

You mean just another tribute band? No, because 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 - 32 years of age.

The show in Santa Cruz is part of a 125 stop tour of the U.S. and Canada. The show has been touring since 2008.

The Marina High School string quartet will join the band for the songs “Eleanor Rigby,” “Yesterday,” “A Day in the Life,” “Hello Goodbye,” and “Hey Jude.” In a special touch, “Yesterday” is played as a scene in which the Paul McCartney character plays the song for the first time for Beatles producer George Martin, with the songwriter explaining that he envisioned a string-quartet accompaniment.

Tickets are $30/$45 and available online at www.riotheatre.com or at Tom Boy, next door to the theatre. The Rio Theatre is located at 1205 Soquel Avenue in Santa Cruz. The show is appropriate for all ages.