EDvent/ 'Four Lads Who Shook the World: The Beatles' Story, Part 2'

The Mayfield takes us down "Penny Lane" to look back on how the Beatles fell apart, recapped by a stellar cast of local lads

BY EMIL TIEDEMANN

IT'S easy to forget how many timeless songs the Beatles accumulated over that storied decade. Songs that easily defined a generation, that revolutionized pop culture, and that wore out record machines on both sides of the Atlantic. It's easy to forget, that is, until four chaps come together to remind us.

The Mayfield Dinner Theatre (16615-109 ave.) is now
playing 'Four Lads Who Shook the World: The Beatles' Story,
Part 2, until November 4th. 
Songs about yellow submarines, weeping guitars, girls named Lucy and Eleanor Rigby, and even some song about a walrus?! And although Van Wilmott's Four Lads Who Shook the World: The Beatles' Story, Part 2--now playing at the Mayfield Dinner Theatre until November 4th--is limited to the later half of the Beatles' unrivalled repertoire, there's more than enough gems to explain why John (Chris Wynters), Paul (Kevin Dabbs), George (Harley Symington), and Ringo (Bob Rasko) are of another calibre.

Part 2 picks up from where it's acclaimed predecessor left off late last year, a 2-hour retelling of how four young Englishmen formed in merry-old Liverpool more than 50 years ago, and how they manoeuvred through the accompanying era known simply as "Beatlemania."

In this 2-hour conclusion Roman Pfob and Melissa MacPherson narrate us through the unravelling of music's most epic and enduring alliance, moonlighting as key figures in the rise and fall of the Fab Four. The storytelling segments are brief, getting straight to the point in order to allow a dominating musical set that's highlighted by stand-out standards like "Let It Be," "Come Together," "Hey Jude," "Get Back," "With a Little Help from My Friends"...to be honest, there are just too many to name.

In fact, the quarrelling quartet nearly over did it with their extensive playlist; not exactly a drawback for anyone who considers themselves a Beatles fan though. And it didn't matter if there was a song or two you may not have recognized or even liked, because the cast's ability to resurrect the Beatles' sound was near flawless.

Now we just gotta figure out what to do about that Yoko chick, before she tears these lads apart. Oh, wait....

For ticket prices and showtimes for Four Lads Who Shook the World (Part 2) click here.

4.5 stars outta 5

Below is the Beatles' classic "Let It Be" (1970).

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

The Ultimate Edmonton Donair Guide

Reason #52 of '101 Reasons Why I Heart Edmonton'

Pink Shirt Promises