8 Days A Week With The Cast of RAIN- Day Three

Broadwayworld has joined with the cast of Rain- A Beatles Tribute for our new "8 Days A Week" feature. Each day for eight days Joe Bithorn, Joey Curatolo, Steve Landes, and Ralph Castelli of Rain will answer one question about what The Beatles mean to them.

Day Three- The Beatles only took to the New York stage several times and yet you play here almost every night. How does it feel to perform live for an American audience, the majority of whom never experienced the real Beatles play live?

Joe Bithorn (George)

I feel especially in America, particularly in NYC, most of us feel a tremendous bond with the Beatles. The major successes of the Ed Sullivan appearances and both Shea Stadium concerts paves the way for the acceptance of our show. Most of us never saw them live and now of course, never can. I feel as if we are providing a way to have a glimpse of what that might have been like, even though I say that with the utmost respect for their talents as I can humbly muster.

Joey Curatolo (Paul)

The NY audience in particular is one of my personal favorites being a native NYorker myself. They seem to be very responsive and respect the fact that we honor this music as they do. Being that the beatles were so close to New Yorkers so much so John Lennon chose to live here.

Steve Landes (John)

I never realized how much of The Beatles' story is intertwined with New York until we got here; from The Ed Sullivan show, to Shea Stadium, etc. On the encore, I wear clothes like what John wore at the 1972 One To One Concert at Madison Square Garden. And, of course, John chose to become a New Yorker! So those connections are always in the back of my mind.

But of course, The Beatles belong to the world, so this show works no matter where we go. This music is very personal, and means something special to each Beatle fan.

Ralph Castelli (Ringo)

Being on Broadway is a dream come true. We have toured the world for many years and we have found that audiences in the US and around the world really embrace us and of course the music of The Beatles. The Beatles changed the lives of all of us and their music means so much to everyone everywhere.

The Beatles have a long standing history with New York City. Aside from playing historical concerts in both Shea Stadium and Carnegie Hall, the group also initially gained fame from their NY performance on The Ed Sullivan Show.

John Lennon in particular has a close personal history with NYC, having spent his last years living here with Yoko Ono and their son Sean. "New York is what Paris was in the twenties. . . the center of the art world." Lennon famously quoted. "And we want to be in the center. It's the greatest place on earth. . . I've got a lot of friends here and I even brought my own cash."

Although Lennon met his tragic end here outside his apartment at The Dakota on December 8, 1980, his legacy lives on all around the city, including the famous Strawberry Fields memorial.