BRITISHMANIA Comes to the Laguna Playhouse, Now thru 8/25

The Laguna Playhouse Executive and Artistic Directors, Karen Wood and Ann E. Wareham present its first special bonus offering of their 2013 season, BRITISHMANIA, a Beatles Tribute concert. "We are about to rock out our Summer with BRITISHMANIA, one of the best Beatles tribute bands around," offers Wood. "How amazing to hear 35 Beatles classics performed authentically in just about two hours! Our audiences and Beatles fans will be in heaven," adds Wareham. BRITISHMANIA will begin performances tonight, August 13 and run through Sunday, August 25, 2013 at the Laguna Playhouse, 606 Laguna Canyon Road in Laguna Beach.

BRITISHMANIA invites you to take a memorable trip back to the experience of seeing the Beatles live at such venues as The Cavern Club in Liverpool, The Star Club in Hamburg, The Hollywood Bowl and Budukon Hall in Tokyo Japan. Re-live what it was like to see them using authentic period correct gear and costumes! BritishMania specializes in playing what the Beatles played live themselves! And, imagine if The Beatles performed "Sgt. Pepper" and "A Day in the Life" live among many others, with their colorful costumes! A truly authentic Beatles Tribute Band, BRITISHMANIA performs those hard-to-reproduce songs on stage faithfully, re-creating their "studio years"!

BRITISHMANIA is known for "not repeating the same EXACT show" so the fans WILL see and hear some DIFFERENT classics at each show!

The concert, "An Evening with... Britishmania Beatles Tribute" will feature four acts to reflect the historical evolution of the Beatles. Act I will consist of "The British Invasion/Ed Sullivan Show" era from February 9, 1964 and will then transition into Act II "The 1965 Help/Shea Stadium" era. After a brief intermission, Act III "The Sgt. Pepper/Magical Mystery Tour" era will take place, followed by Act IV "The Let it Be/Abbey Road" era. According to Jon Ferris, who plays John Lennon for BritishMania, the concert offers people a chance to relive what it was like to see the Beatles using authentic period-correct gear and costumes.

"We invite the audience to take a memorable trip back to the experience of seeing The Beatles live at such venues as The Hollywood Bowl and Shea Stadium. This is an exciting opportunity for Beatles fans to take a historical, fun-filled journey back to the 1960's and experience the magic of the most successful band in the world," Ferris says.

A leading Beatles Tribute Band and the official Beatles Tribute Band of Liverpool Tours, BritishMania has performed in front of thousands at clubs, theaters, colleges, universities, private events, outdoor festivals, The Legendary Cavern Club in Liverpool England,London, The Amsterdam Hilton and more. The band has been known to recreate a high level theater-like concert complete with up to 4 costume eras including "The British Invasion/Ed Sullivan Show" era "The 1965 Help/Shea Stadium" era " The Sgt. Pepper/Magical Mystery Tour" era and "The Let it Be/Abbey Road" era. BritishMania is renowned for its authentic costumes and band gear, including Vox amplifiers, a Hofner bass and guitars by Rickenbacker, Gretsch and Epiphone.

Jimmy Pou as George Harrison - Jimmy has portrayed the "quiet" lead guitarist, George Harrison, of the Fab Four since 1978. Jimmy was born into a cuban family so he was always surrounded by rhythmic music at a very young age. First hired as George in the successful Beatlemania show which toured the world, Jimmy has enjoyed a long career in music and entertainment. In 1993, Jimmy joined the #1 Beatles Tribute band in the world "1964 The Tribute". After joining the band, they went from playing nightclubs and dinner theatres to more prestigious venues such as Carnegie Hall and The Red Rocks Amphitheatre. In 2008, he was a member of "Beatlemania Now" touring across the United States. Currently, Jimmy has also been a member of a popular Broadway show , performing live, to sold out audiences across the globe.

ROLO SANDOVAL as Ringo Starr - Rolo began playing drums at the age of nineteen and is considered the most solid drummer in the Beatles Tribute business. Rolo's limitless talent gives him the ability to duplicate Ringo's trademark sound. His strong vocals and attention to detail makes him a truly authentic Ringo!

FRANK MENDONCA LLL as Paul McCartney - Frank, naturally left handed, bears an amazing resemblence to the "cute" Beatle. His on-stage manerisms, banter and vocals make you think you're looking at th real Paul! Frank has performed with many Beatles acts and proves why he one of the very best in the business!

JON FERRIS as John Lennon? -?As the owner/producer/manager of Britishmania, Jon pays a strict attention to detail. From authentic costumes and wigs to period correct guitars a true Beatles Tribute will be presented. Jon has performed nationally as well as internationally (Cavern Club) with Britishmania in theaters, festivals, private events etc. Jon plays rhythm guitar, lead guitar, keyboards, bass and harmonica.

BRITISHMANIA will begin performances tonight, August 13 and run through Sunday, August 25, 2013 at the Laguna Playhouse, 606 Laguna Canyon Road in Laguna Beach. Performances will be Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays & Fridays at 7:30pm; Saturdays at 2pm & 7:30pm; Sundays at 2pm. There will be additional performances on Sunday, August 18 at 7pm and Thursday, August 22 at 2pm.

Tickets range from $35 - $60 and can be purchased online at www.lagunaplayhouse.com or by calling (949) 497-ARTS (2787). $15 Student Discount tickets are available (with proof of student ID) at all performances at the Box Office. Group discounts are available by calling 949-497-2787 ext. 229. The box office is open Tuesdays - Sundays: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (open until 8 pm on performance days).

For more information on all shows and programming visit www.lagunaplayhouse.com. Laguna Playhouse is located at 606 Laguna Canyon Road in Laguna Beach.

Founded in 1920, The Laguna Playhouse is one of the oldest continuously-operating theatres on the West Coast. In 2011, The Laguna Playhouse was honored at the Laguna Spirit Awards and received The Laguna Beach Chamber of Commerce Premiere Business of the Year award. More than 100,000 theatergoers annually attend performances at the Laguna Playhouse. Its continued artistic excellence, audience popularity and critical acclaim have helped make The Playhouse one of Southern California's most important nonprofit theatre companies. The Playhouse has produced national tours of The Belle of Amherst (with Julie Harris) and Copenhagen, and has presented many world, national and regional premieres.
Over the years, the Laguna Playhouse has garnered numerous awards from LA Drama Critics Circle, NAACP, Backstage, OC Weekly, and many more, and was named Best Arts Organization by ArtsOC. Notable performers that have performed at The Laguna Playhouse include Bette Davis, Harrison Ford, Charles Durning, Marlo Thomas, Roddy McDowell, Rita Rudner, Cloris Leachman, and Sally Struthers.

The Laguna Playhouse is noted for its Youth Theater Education and Outreach programs. In 1989, its Youth Theater was recognized as "Outstanding Children's Theatre" by the American Alliance for Theatre and Education. The theater's touring production, TheatreReach, brings books to life on stage for elementary school children throughout Southern California.

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