Paul Curatolo, Steve Landes & More Set for RAIN - A TRIBUTE TO THE BEATLES

Direct from its phenomenally successful Broadway engagement, the internationally-acclaimed The Beatles concert, RAIN - A TRIBUTE TO THE BEATLES, returns to Segerstrom Center for the Arts from April 25 - 26, 2014.

The cast for the Orange County engagement includes Paul Curatolo as Paul McCartney, Steve Landes as John Lennon, Ralph Castelli as Ringo Starr and Joe Bithorn as George Harrison. Chris Smallwood joins as the keyboardist.

Single tickets, which start at $30, are now available online at SCFTA.org, at the Box Office at 600 Town Center Drive in Costa Mesa or by calling (714) 556-2787. For inquiries about group ticket savings for 10 or more, call the Group Services office at (714) 755-0236. The TTY number is (714) 556-2746.

As "the next best thing to seeing The Beatles!" (The Associated Press), RAIN performs the full range of The Beatles discography live onstage, including the most complex and challenging songs that The Beatles themselves recorded in the studio but never performed for an audience. In addition, new songs are being included with the launch of the 2013 tour.

Together longer than The Beatles, RAIN has mastered every song, gesture and nuance of the legendary foursome, delivering a totally live, note-for-note performance that's as infectious as it is transporting. From the early hits to later classics ("I Want To Hold Your Hand," A Hard Day's Night," "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band," "Let It Be," "Come Together," "Hey Jude" and more), this adoring tribute will take you back to a time when all you needed was love and a little help from your friends. Reminiscent of The Beatles, the onstage members of RAIN are not only supreme musicians, but electrifying performers in their own right.

The New York Times says, "The audience is enraptured. They get a chance to sing along, twist and shout!" And Entertainment Weekly states, "Just turn off your mind, relax and float downstream for a quick fix of nostalgic cheer!"

Paul Curatolo (Paul McCartney) - The Beatles became Curatolo's biggest influence as a child growing up with RAIN. At 10 years old, his musical journey began when he taught himself the drums. He quickly adapted to guitar and piano which drove him to write and record his own music. When he was 14, as a member of the pop band Wayward, he went on to record five albums. Until recently the band has toured the U.S. and was voted home town heroes in Alternative Press Magazine. Curatolo's love for The Beatles has driven him to master the character of Paul McCartney down to every detail. From vocal inflections to turning the bass over to perform left-handed. Curatolo considers it an honor to pay tribute to his idol.

Steve Landes (John Lennon) - A life-long, second-generation The Beatles fan, Landes taught himself guitar at age 10 by listening to The Beatles records, and by 13 was fronting a Top 40 cover band in his native Philadelphia. At 17, he joined Beatlemania and further developed his musicianship, touring the world with the show. After passing the audition with the existing RAIN band members in 1998, his career was set. On one of his travels to England, he found himself at Liverpool's Casbah Club, owned by pre-Ringo The Beatles drummer Pete Best. Encouraged to get on stage, Landes belted out lead vocals to The Beatles rocker "Slow Down," while Best sat in on drums. As a backup musician, Landes has performed alongside legendary ?60s artists Peter Noone (Herman's Hermits), Joey Molland (Badfinger), Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels and Tiny Tim. As an actor, he appeared in the films Wedding Bell Blues, For Which He Stands and Tim Burton's Mars Attacks! Landes writes and records his own original music.

Ralph Castelli (Ringo Starr) - Castelli was born and raised in Southern California, surrounded by a musically talented family, and by age 6 became passionate about playing drums. On that momentous night in February 1964 when The Beatles first appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show, Castelli was hypnotized and knew playing drums was what he was born to do. Captivated by Ringo Starr and The Beatles that night, Castelli's excitement continued to grow and his dream would eventually become his reality. After touring and performing with numerous bands and pursuing his acting career, Castelli landed the role of Ringo Starr in the touring production of Beatlemania and was also cast as Ringo in Beatlemania: The Movie. His talent, drum techniques, humor, style and appearance was in his favor. Castelli joined RAIN in 1986 and is thrilled to be on Broadway.

Joe Bithorn (George Harrison) - Bithorn grew up in Manhattan and Long Island where he was exposed to a variety of music including jazz, Latin, classical and more. By age 3, his musical father taught the children how to sing harmony. He was profoundly influenced by the experiences he had at Carnegie Hall through his mom who worked with the Festival Casals. Thanks to The Beatles appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, Bithorn took a strong interest in the guitar. Early influences include the band Cream, and Bithorn developed the ability to learn guitar parts by ear by age 14. By age 16, Bithorn was so proficient that he was recruited for studio sessions. While in high school, Bithorn and his brother formed The Bithorn Brothers Band, performing the early music of The Allman Brothers Band. Bithorn heard about an audition for Beatlemania and was hired for the touring production as George. After touring with the show in North America, Bithorn joined RAIN in 1983 and has been touring the world ever since.

Chris Smallwood (keyboards) - Smallwood fell in love with The Beatles music as a young kid, but didn't fall onto a piano bench until high school, when he broke his leg. Just two years later, he was invited to Kentucky's prestigious Governor's School for the Arts program. In 2008, Smallwood received a bachelor of music from Belmont University in Nashville, and in 2010 earned his master of music from the University of Louisville.

For more information, please visit www.raintribute.com.

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