Backbeat
From Theatre Breaks
Backbeat the Beatles Early Years Musical
Backbeat is a stage version of the award-winning 1994 British film of the same name, about the early years of the Beatles.
Backbeat closed in the London's West End on February 18th 2012 Duke of York's Theatre.
Written by the film’s creator Iain Softley and directed in the West End by David Leveaux,
Backbeat opens on 10 October 2011, booking now until 18 February 2012, when the show will close to make way for All New People
Set during ‘the Hamburg Years’ in the early 1960s before the band became successful and world famous, Backbeat centres on the triangular relationship between Stuart Sutcliffe, the band’s original bassist and an accomplished painter, his best friend John Lennon, and Astrid Kirchherr, the beatnik German photographer who Sutcliffe fell in love with. Struggling with his various loyalties, Sutcliffe eventually chose Astrid and art over the Beatles and music.
Sutcliffe handed over his guitar to Paul McCartney just before Beatlemania took off. Shortly after leaving the band, he died in Hamburg, at the age of just 22, of a brain haemorrhage. His portrait featured on the Beatles’ album cover for Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.
The compelling triangular relationship between the band's original bassist Stuart Sutcliffe, the striking German photographer Astrid Kirchherr whom he fell in love with, and his best friend John Lennon, became an intrinsic part of the Beatles' story - and put them on an unstoppable trajectory onto the world stage.
Stuart's struggle between his best friend and the band, Astrid and his art, makes Stuart the troubled focus of Backbeat. His death, aged only 22, in the same year that the Beatles appointed Brian Epstein as manager, signed to Parlophone Records by Sir George Martin, and released their first single 'Love Me Do', adds to the poignancy of this remarkable and vivid portrait of the early 1960's.
Backbeat Casting news
Nick Blood is to play Stuart Sutcliffe, Andrew Knott will play John Lennon, reprising his Glasgow Citizens Theatre production role and Daniel Healy will play Paul McCartney. The trio will be joined on stage by Ruta Gedmintas as Astrid Kirchherr, William Payne as George Harrison, Oliver Bennett as Pete Best, Adam Sopp as Ringo/Tony Sheridan, Dominic Rouse as Klaus Voorman, James Wallae as Sir George Martin and Ben Fox as Arthur Ballard/Bert Kaempfert.
Backbeat features the all-time rock 'n' roll classics that the Beatles cut their teeth with - 'Twist & Shout', 'Rock 'N' Roll Music', 'Long Tall Sally', 'Please Mr Postman' and 'Money' - live on stage as performed by 'the Beatles'.
Co-written by Iain Softley and Stephen Jeffreys, with musical direction by Paul Stacey, and directed by the award-winning David Leveaux.
Backbeat includes live onstage performances of various songs the Beatles played in the Hamburg years, including ‘Twist & Shout’, ‘Rock & Roll Music’, ‘Long Tall Sally’ ‘Please Mr Postman’ and ‘Money’.
The stage play received its world premiere at Glasgow Citizens Theatre in February 2010, when Alex Robertson and Isabella Calthorpe starred as Sutcliffe and Kirchherr, with Andrew Knott (as Lennon), Daniel Healy (Paul McCartney), Jamie Blackley (George Harrison) and Oliver Bennett (Pete Best). Casting has not yet been confirmed for the West End.
Backbeat is co-written by Stephen Jeffreys, with musical direction by Paul Stacey. It’s produced by Karl Sydow, who commented: “Backbeat at the Duke of York’s Theatre will allow people the experience of being at the birth of the Beatles. It tells a story that many music fans may not know, set to a musical backdrop that absolutely defined the early Sixties. Next year will mark 50 years since the Beatles released their first single, and I am proud to be bringing their early days to life in the West End.”
