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Home > Blogs > Arts and Entertainment > Archives > 2008 > December > 11 > Entry
‘Rain’ washes Victoria in good feeling
The performers aren’t live ringers for the Beatles, or sound exactly the way John, Paul, George and Ringo did on their own.
What the talented, well-prepared and dedicated members of “Rain: The Tribute to the Beatles” have is a remarkable ability to approximate in live performance a selection of songs as the Beatles recorded them.
The marvelous result Wednesday, Dec. 10, on opening night of a two-week stand at the Victoria Theatre, was an uplifting, enjoyable and satisfying two-act production that included 29 songs in five sets spread over two acts plus an encore. Almost everyone in the sold-out first night at least swayed and waved along to some of the songs, an almost unprecedented show of physicality by the Victoria’s often sedate and older Broadway Series audiences.
The advertisement-laden 70-page playbill provided only the names of the four Beatles stand-ins, plus that of valuable fifth man Mark Lewis, whose synthesized orchestral instruments and keyboard layerings lent crucial depth to the sound.
Although not listed as playing John Lennon, Paul, McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr, Steve Landes, Joey Curatolo, Joe Bithorn and Ralph Castelli corresponded harmoniously to those four in instrumentation, vocals and antics.
Screens on both sides of the stage and a bigger one behind it projected an effective mix of historic footage, live projections, animation and remakes of famous Beatles images featuring the members of this band in character.
Concert-style lighting was varied and stimulating. Several costume changes for the performers also forged connections between the music and the spectators.
Rain, the name of the band as well as a lesser known Beatles song performed while the audience exited, treats the songs the way Hamlet stood behind the play as “the thing.” All elements are focused to serve the goal. That serves the audience.
The program included no playlist, but here’s the way it stacked up on opening night:
Set 1, in which the mop-topped Beatles in matching suits played the Ed Sullivan Show (complete with video of a Sullivan impersonator introducing them, tacky studio-like décor and “applause” signs): “I Want to Hold Your Hand,” “All My Loving,” “This Boy, “I Saw Her Standing There,” “Hard Day’s Night” “I’m Happy Just to Dance with You,” “Yesterday.”
Set 2, corresponging to Beatlemania and the group’s concert at New York’s Shea Stadium: “If I Fell,” “Day Tripper,” which was a major crowd rouser, and “Twist and Shout.”
Set 3, the Sergeant Pepper period: “Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band,” “With a Little Help from My Friends.” “Eleanor Rigby,” “Strawberry Fields” “When I’m 64” and “Sergeant Pepper reprise.”
Act 2. Set 4: “Ob La Di, Ob La Da,” “Girl!”, “Til there Was You” and “Something,” (featuring very Lennon-like guitar work by Bithorn).
Set 5. “Abbey Road” etc.: “Come Together,” “Get Back, “Revolution,” “Give Peace a Chance” and “A Day in the Life.
Encore: “Imagine,” “Let It Be,” “Hey Jude” and “Rain.”
“Rain: The Tribute to the Beatles” continues through Dec. 21 in the Chase Broadway Series at the Victoria, First and Main streets. For tickets and times, call (937) 228-3630, toll free at (937) 228-3630 or o online at www.ticketcenterstage.com.
Permalink | Comments (2) | Post your comment | Categories: Music - Popular, Review, Theater
Comments
By Beatle Fan
December 12, 2008 4:26 PM | Link to this
On Thursday, Rain performed a fantastic version of “While My Guitar Gently Weeps,” to incredible applause and a beautiful version of “Mother Nature’s Son,” which are not mentioned in the song list from opening night.. Those two and “Eleanor Rigby” were my favorites.By jmiller
December 15, 2008 6:42 AM | Link to this
We attended the Sunday night performance; what a blast! As one who grew up with the Beatles, this was a fun way to spend a couple of hours at the Victoria.