Interview: Steve Landes of RAIN: A TRIBUTE TO THE BEATLES at Dr. Phillips Center on May 5

When the opening chords of a familiar Beatles tune drifts out of the doors of the Walt Disney Theater on May 5th, guests might just think they stepped back in time 50+ years to the iconic eras of Sgt. Pepper, Magical Mystery Tour and all your favorite hits. And if they come see RAIN - A Tribute to the Beatles presented by the Dr. Phillips Center, they might just succeed in that time travel. RAIN - A Tribute to the Beatles, a show that has been called "the next best thing to seeing The Beatles," boasts a repertoire of nearly 200 Beatles favorites, ranging from such beloved songs as "I Want To Hold Your Hand" and "Hey Jude" to classic hits including "Revolution" and "Come Together."  Leading many of those familiar songs, in the iconic shoes of John Lennon is Steve Landes, and actor/singer/musician that has been performing Beatles-songs for most of his adult life and will be a part of the show when it arrives in Orlando. I had the privilege of speaking with Steve a number of years ago to learn a little more about his journey and our conversation still resonates today. Below is a resharing of our interview from 2009  (one of my first as a writer for BroadwayWorld!)

Let's start with a question about your background. Tell us a little bit about how you got started in the business. I understand you were very young when you began playing and performing?

I got my first guitar at 10 and my dad taught me my first chords. I was fronting bands at 12, 13, 14, while everyone else in the band was in their 20's and 30's. Then the Beatlemania show came on Broadway and it was a dream come true, showing me that you could make a living playing this music in beautiful theatres and that people would appreciate it. So, as soon as I hit 17, I went up to New York, auditioned for the show and got in. I did that show for a little while and was able to make contacts and that was ultimately how I got into Rain, because all the guys that played the Beatle parts in Rain were part of Beatlemania at some point.

What did you think you wanted to do when you were growing up? Did you always want to be an actor or musician, or both?

When I was young and was getting into bands I wanted to do the typical rock star thing, write my own music, get a record deal, and do that sort of thing. I then saw that a very small percentage of people get to do that and there were ways to make a living playing music and being happy doing other things. When I came into Beatlemania I saw the theatrical aspect of it, portraying a character without dialog or a book, and that spoke to me.

And at 17 you were in your first touring Broadway musical, Beatlemania. With such a quick move to the professional stage, did you feel like you could relate, albeit on a smaller scale, to what John, Paul, George and Ringo may have felt when they were suddenly in the spotlight?

It's strange, when you are that young you don't think about it. You are just doing it. You feel like the big boy. It's not until I got older and had perspective that I realized that it was cool that a) my parents were encouraging and would let me do that sort of thing, b) that I saw where I wanted to go with my life and c) that not only was I young but  I was the same age as the Beatles doing the same sort of thing at the time. It really makes you realize how special they were.

And I understand over the years you have had some very unique, Beatles-related experiences in your career including playing with Pete Best at the Casbah Club and performing at the Empire Theatre and the Cavern Club in Liverpool. What were you thinking when you were performing in such historic circumstances?

Doing those sorts of things, we have been very lucky. We see it from this odd perspective because we have learned a lot about the Beatles' lives, their music, and their careers by what we do. On top of that we have had the chance to meet the people that were important parts of their lives and careers. I have met Pete Best, Cynthia Lennon, Sid Bernstein, all these people who were pivotal to them and they gave us a glimpse to what they were like, and then to play the same venues as well like Empire Theatre or the Cavern Club, and to play with Pete Best in the Casbah Club, it is really surreal from an actors standpoint. And as a fan, after spending my whole life watching these videos of the Beatles performing on these stages and then to be in that spot it is very weird, but a lot of fun. It is a perspective that I don't think any other Beatles fan could quite understand. You are getting to literally be in their shoes.

Many of our readers may not have heard of RAIN, or may think they know what to expect from the concept of the show. What can you tell us about the show that someone coming to RAIN might experience?

It is kind of the Beatles career put on stage in the span of two hours. It is a rock concert, and is not really a play, but we do portray the Beatles in character. We look as much like them as they can, wearing the various costumes throughout their career, playing the same instruments and recreating the keystone moments of their career, from the Ed Sullivan show, to the Shea stadium concert, Sgt. Pepper and Abbey Road albums and try to hit all those milestones that people remember. But through all that, the main focus is the music and we try  to replicate what we all remember from the recordings live on stage. It is all live, there's no sequencing, just four Beatles up front and a keyboard player in the back that plays all the instruments the session musicians would have played on the recordings.

The show undoubtedly is filled with songs that the audience will be very familiar with.  Do you find that the atmosphere at a performance of RAIN is more concert-like than theatre or is it a bit of both? I am guessing there can be quite a bit of singing along.

Oh yeah, it is amazing to see when the curtain goes up, people wearing their old Beatles t-shirts and singing along. What really amazes me is that it is all ages, there are 12/13 year olds that know these songs better than their parents. And that is the great thing about the Rock Band video and recently released remastered CDs, it builds new fans and that is what I hope we do to a smaller extent. Good music is good music no matter when it was made.

Many people are familiar with the Beatles historic rise to fame, is there anything in the story of RAIN that people might find surprising that they did not know about the Beatles?

I think most surprising is the musicianship. Even to this day, as legendary as the Beatles are, there is this attitude that it was simpler music back then when in fact it was intricate, beautiful, and well-constructed music, and really ahead of its time. Hopefully it gives newfound respect for the Beatles as musicians  when you see us playing their songs. The vocal ability too, both John and Paul are some of the greatest rock musicians of all-time vocally. So to see that happen live is hopefully eye opening to some extent.

What do you like the most about being part of this show? What do you look forward to the most?

I think a lot of the fun for me is seeing the other Beatles fans out there. I started this by being in the audience. I was 11 or 12 seeing Beatlemania, wanting that to really be the Beatles up there on stage so I know what it feels like. So when I see kids or their parents in the audience close their eyes for a minute, I know what they are thinking. I know they are really getting into the spirit of it and I appreciate that and it makes me want to be a better John Lennon for them.

The Beatles obviously had many adoring (and sometimes overly excitable fans). Do you have any interesting stories from the road that you can share related to these fans?

Over the years I have had fans break into my hotel room, I have had the long letters that never seem to end,  had people send me strange things in the mail.  Some people really want to hold on to the feeling that they are seeing the Beatles. For the most part we have really great fans, though. They even call themselves the Raindrops or the Rainiacs, and some of them come dressed in their own Sgt. Pepper suits or come and act out the show, or bring signs, so everyone gets into the spirit of it.

Considering the nature of the show and the fact that you and the other guys are performing every night on tour, do you sometimes feel like a band in your own right, and not musician/actors playing four very famous performers?

That's the thing. You really have to be a band. We have been together long enough we know vocally where we need to be to match our harmonies. There is a magic that is created when the five of us are up on stage, and if we weren’t the best musicians we could be outside of this, we couldn't do the Beatles great.

Is there anything else you would like to share?

I think show-wise that there is something for everyone. There are a lot of people out there who may not consider themselves hard-core Beatles fans, but the show really has something for everyone.

Dr. Phillips Center will present RAIN - A Tribute to the Beatles at the Walt Disney Theater from on May 5. Tickets are on sale now at drphillipscenter.org.

Photos by Matt Christine Photography

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