Emanuele Angeletti in Let It Be at the Garrick Theatre, London
Let It Be continues at the Garrick Theatre, London until 21 September.
Let It Be – returning to the West End for a limited summer season after an 18-week tour – is a concert celebrating the music of one of the world’s most successful rock‘n’roll bands, and doesn’t pretend to be anything else. In fact, the simplicity of the concept – putting the focus on the music and how well it can be played live – is the reason why its formula is so successful.
There are bound to be purists who wouldn‘t be caught dead seeing what is ultimately a tribute show, but for those fans who still can’t enough of the Beatles’ incredible body of work, Let It Be is a must-see. It’s also the perfect opportunity for children of the sixties to share their love for this incredible music with their own families.
It’s well-known that the show has its own repertory company of sorts, with four singer/musicians picked from a company of ten performers every evening to step into the shoes of John Lennon (on this occasion, Michael Gagliano), Paul McCartney (Emanuele Angeletti), George Harrison (Paul Mannion) and Ringo Starr (Luke Roberts). Plus, in Act II, much of which has an unplugged feel, there is a fifth Beatle of sorts – Steve Gear – who provides all those extra musical bells and whistles which would have been added when the band was recording in the studio (hats off to sound designer Gareth Owen as well).
Charting the Beatles’ musical journey, there are stops at Liverpool’s Cavern Club, the Royal Variety Show (when Lennon suggested that the people in the more expensive seats ‘rattle their jewellery’), A Hard Day’s Night at the cinema (in its 50th anniversary year), New York’s Shea Stadium, Sgt. Pepper‘s Lonely Hearts Club Band and the Magical Mystery Tour; not to mention memories of the album Let It Be and that live gig from the roof of Apple headquarters in January 1969.
As we witness the look and sound of the band changing, archive footage on TV screens helps to create the mood of different eras passing by. While Tim McQuillen-Wright’s set, and the increasing use of video projections (video designer is Duncan McLean), also add to the atmosphere, it is the standard of the singing and musicianship onstage that is Let It Be’s winning ingredient.
For the many of us who never had the opportunity to see the Beatles live (and, of course, the band didn’t perform much of the later material outside of the studio anyway), the show is a great opportunity to relive the fantastic quality of songs that cover such a diverse range of styles and genres.
In addition to their skills as vocalists and multi-instrumentalists, the artists impress with the way their poses, gestures and Liverpudlian patter add to the whole experience. Angeletti, who easily switches between rock‘n’roll and tender ballads like ‘The Long and Winding Road’, has all the Macca charm one would hope for, while Gagliano’s edgier vocals and dark sense of humour connect well with how we remember Lennon.
Mannion looks the least comfortable dressed up in all the Beatles regalia, but the quality of his performance is never lacking, as his off-the-scale guitar playing in ‘While My Guitar Gently Sleeps’ demonstrates. Somewhat hidden behind his drum kit for much of the time, Roberts still does well to evoke the Ringo persona and proves himself as musically adept as his fellow Beatles.
Beware that there is no book to this musical (directed by John Maher), so if your aim is to discover more about the Beatles’ back story, this is probably not the show for you. But if your idea of good fun is to sing and dance along to gems from the Fab Four’s back catalogue, you are definitely in the right place.
Lisa Martland
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