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Backbeat, Duke of York’s Theatre
Retelling the Beatles’ time spent gigging for hours in the Kaiserkeller in Hamberg, Germany, in the early days of their career, Backbeat is filled with early 60s class, from the brilliant music, to the transition from Teddy Boy to Mop Top. The focal point of the play is Stuart Sutcliffe who played bass with the Beatles at the time. Torn between art, music and his relationship with photographer Astrid Kerchherr, the story is a whirlwind of rock and roll proportions.
Based on the 1994 film of the same name, Backbeat moves at pace, building the tumultuous era-defining development of The Beatles in the seedier parts of Hamberg. Nick Blood plays Sutcliffe with all the style and intensity that Stephen Dorff brought to the role originally, and Andrew Knott puts in a suitably in-your-face performance of John Lennon in his boisterous early life. Ruta Gedmintas adds the acting skills to round off the production well, injecting solidity to the show.
Backbeat is loud, crunching, poetic and abrasive, instilled with great live music and perhaps the only sing along ending that would have even the most hardened white van man singing and dancing in the aisles. While there’s not much in the way of look-alike to the faces on stage, there’s definitely a distinctly Beatles feel to it all.
Backbeat, Duke of York’s Theatre review: 4.2/5
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