Stewart D’Arrietta and John R. Waters in Lennon: Through a Glass Onion at the Union Square Theatre, New York. Picture: Joan Marcus
Lennon: Through a Glass Onion continues at the Union Square Theatre, New York until 22 February 2015.
John R. Waters (a noted London-born Australian performer not to be confused with the quirky American filmmaker John Waters) makes an imposing figure as he takes to the stage in Lennon: Through a Glass Onion. The production, created and performed by Waters, celebrates the life and work of John Lennon; over the years it has had runs in Australia, London and elsewhere and now has landed Off-Broadway.
In his close-fitting black jeans and leather jacket, Waters looks like a silver-haired desperado. There is nothing to suggest the bespectacled, shaggy-haired image of Lennon. But once Waters begins giving us first-person commentary in a Liverpudian accent, taking us through various phases of Lennon’s life, the unique spirit of the rock god fills the theatre. The commentary is interspersed through a generous catalogue of Lennon’s songs (including those written for the Beatles with Paul McCartney). In his singing as in his appearance, sometimes with guitar in hand, sometimes not, Waters does not attempt an imitation. Rather than Lennon’s gritty nasality, Waters delivers the songs in a rock-infused robust baritone. But again, the essence of the composer-performer is palpable.
Waters’ musicianship is impeccable, and he gets incredibly rich accompaniment from pianist Stewart D’Arrietta, who also provides vocal solos and backups. The interpretations range from infectious, as in ‘All You Need is Love’, or dreamy, as in ‘Strawberry Fields Forever’, to breathtakingly powerful, as in ‘Revolution’. Among other standouts, a slow tempo ‘Help’ emerges as a genuine cri de coeur, and an ineffably tender version of ‘Beautiful Boy’ could well mist the eyes of even the most frazzled parent after a hard day of child-tending.
The potency of the music is further heightened by the dramatic lighting effects of Anthony Barrett and Adam Burbury’s sound design.
The commentary on Lennon’s life is book-ended by a fusillade of gunshots signifying Lennon’s senseless murder, and after the final bullet is sounded in a darkened theatre, the lights come up again on Waters who then sings Lennon’s vision of a peace-filled world, ‘Imagine’. It’s a lump-in-the-throat finish to a show that offers an affecting appreciation of the breadth, depth and sometimes sheer beauty of Lennon’s work and his soul.
Ron Cohen
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