It was a rare sight: senior citizens and young teenagers dancing to a Beatles song “Twist and Shout” performed by impersonators at the Fresno Philharmonic in the Classical Mystery Tour concert, Feb. 7.
Our expectations of the concert began slowly but picked up speed as the show progressed. Though we expected the concert to start with a bang, the first song was an orchestral Beatles Medley Overture, which did not satisfy the upbeat atmosphere of Beatles fanatics.
Conductor Martin Herman arranged 21 beloved songs and three encore pieces by The Beatles to perform. Actors and musicians Jim Owen, Tony Kishman, Jon Brosnan and Chris Camilleri portrayed the eccentric young musicians: John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr, respectively.
The band’s charisma and energy was emphasized accurately as audience members screamed their approval. Fans seemed to approve of John Lennon’s signature white suit and shoulder-length hair and the authenticity of the band’s appearance.
The audience was very warm and welcoming to the impersonators whose facial features and body language greatly resembled that of the original Beatles. Encores were made three times to pull the four friends back onto the resounding stage filled with Fresno Philharmonic orchestra members to play renditions of favorites “Hey Jude,” “Twist And Shout” and “Can’t buy me Love.” The crowd roared with applause and laughter at every move and joke made by the performers.
We sat in our seats transfixed by the beautiful works of the music produced by the instruments. The iconic figures on the stage held our awe and we listened attenively so as not to miss any part of a song. In fact, the two of us sat side-by-side singing along to the words of the old songs we knew so well.
A few favorite songs chosen to play included “Yellow Submarine,” “I am the Walrus” and “All you Need is Love.” Our personal favorites were both “A day in the Life” and “Eleanor Rigby” which were performed with such skill and incredible talent. We sat in peaceful amazement for a few seconds afterward.
The experience of an impersonated concert, which filled the theater with anticipation and excitement, caused us to consider the effect of an official Beatles performance so many years ago. Since the chance to attend one of these shows died long ago, the provided concert filled our desire to see the band live in concert.
Despite the actors portraying roles of iconic men, the level of authenticity provided an atmosphere causing us to forget we weren’t watching the actual members of The Beatles onstage before us.
The Tower Theater will bring The Beatles tribute to stage on March 22 at 7 p.m. Tickets are sold for $29 and $30.
For more music reviews, check out Jenn Boudreau’s Dec. 15 article, CinSun lyrics, music broadcast finesse.
