Lennon Returns to the Stage with British Musical Come Together Right Now

By: Nov. 08, 2005
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A new musical about John Lennon will follow in the wake of the now-closed Broadway show Lennon.  The British show Come Together Right Now will be performed at the Liverpool Empire after the show finishes a brief regional tour (with stops that include Stevenage, Truro, Torquay, Hastings and Peterborough).  The Liverpool performance will be timed to coincide with the 25th anniversary of Lennon's assassination, which occured on December 8th, 1980.  A London transfer is also planned.

The show almost didn't happen, according to an article in Whatsonstage.com.  Yoko Ono, "along with the Lennon Estate solicitors and the Sony Music Corporation, tried to ban it, allegedly threatening theatres and councils with legal action and forcing opening dates to be pulled at substantial financial losses."  Producer Ian Watts, who also plays Beatles bandmate Paul McCartney in the musical, decided to go ahead with the show despite not having received Ono's blessing.  The widow of Lennon was a major force behind the Broadway musical bearing her late husband's name, and some critics of the show decried the musical's lack of focus on the Beatles in favor of placing it on the Lennon-Ono marriage. 

In addition to Watts, Come Together Right Now features Johnny Silver as Lennon, Mike Wilbury as George Harrison and Steve Heappey as Ringo Starr.  The musical is presented by Stagedeal Ltd. in association with LADITL Ltd.  "This show is about the music of John Lennon and the Beatles performed by the finest Beatle musicians.  The audience are treated to Lennon's hits and history in the form of some of his most delicate songs right through to his hard-hitting political masterpieces," stated Watts.  The show incorporates such Lennon songs as "Give Peace a Chance," "Imagine" and "Strawberry Fields." 

Lennon opened at the Broadhurst Theatre on August 14th, 2005 and closed on September 24th after 49 performances and 42 previews.  With direction and a book by Don Scardino, the musical featured music and lyrics by Lennon (with some additional music by Paul McCartney and others).  Lennon's nine-person cast slipped in and out of characters, with a number of performers playing the title role.  The show, which was beset with a trouble tryout and preview period, starred Will Chase, Chuck Cooper, Julie Danao-Salkin, Mandy Gonzalez, Marcy Harriell, Chad Kimball,  Terrence Mann, Julia Murney and Michael Potts.

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