Reviewed by Catherine Joyce
When I was invited to the opening night of Let It Be at Blackpool Opera House I knew immediately who I would ask to accompany me. My mum is a huge Beatles fan and we grew up listening to their records so I knew she would love it. Blackpool Opera House is located within Blackpool’s famous Winter Gardens and is one of the UK’s biggest theatres. It opened in 1939 and has seen a cast of thousands tread its boards. Being such an old building means there are lots of lovely original features and it really is full of character. There is plenty of parking nearby, either on ground level or multi storey car parks, we paid £3 to park on a nearby car park. The theatre has a choice of bars but being situated in the centre of Blackpool means there is plenty of choice when it comes to pre-show drinks or meals.
Mum was thrilled when we found our seats as they were close to the stage and we had a really good view. On the stage were four 60’s style TV’s and before the show started, they were playing a mix of music, adverts and TV clips getting everyone in the mood for the show.
When the curtain opened, we were transported to the stage of a Royal Variety Performance where the Beatles played “She Loves You” to an excited audience. They quickly ran through a number of hits including “I Want to Hold Your Hand” and “All My Loving” and a lovely acoustic version of “Yesterday” which sounded amazing. The audience were encouraged to join in, and everyone was soon singing along with the band.
A quick costume change and we were in America with the TV screens showing the hysteria of fans at concerts. Whilst there was no hysteria at Blackpool everyone was soon on their feet to the popular “Twist and Shout”
The band then disappeared for another costume change whilst we watched adverts for cigarettes and shampoo before the band returned in hippy costumes for “Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.” This was my Mum’s favourite part of the show with classics like “Penny Lane” “Strawberry Fields” and “When I’m 64”
The first half ended much too soon and in the interval we chatted with the people next to us, they were huge Beatles fans and were saying how good the show was. They had seen The Beatles live and were very impressed at how similar the band were, both in their singing and musical ability.
The pace stepped up in the 2nd half with a “Reunion of Beatles” where a mix of music was played, this included original Beatles tracks as well as a couple of John Lennon songs and “Band on The Run” by Paul McCartney and Wings. I especially liked Richard Jordan’s rendition of John Lennon’s famous “Imagine” it was sung really well and he sounded just like John Lennon. After a great night of hits the band returned for an encore playing the popular “Back in the USSR,” “Let it Be” and finishing with ”Hey Jude” which all the audience joined in with.
We had an amazing night out and Mum is already thinking of going to see it again with her friends!
I would really recommend this show to anyone who loves great music, there was a fantastic atmosphere and a real buzz in the theatre and lots of happy smiling faces at the end of the show.
Rating: 5/5
Tickets cost from £15 (booking fees may apply).
Let It Be is at Blackpool Opera House from 22-25 May 2019, for more information or to book tickets visit www.wintergardensblackpool.co.uk or call the box office on 0844 856 1111.
Winter Gardens & Opera House Theatre, 97 Church Street, Blackpool, Lancashire, FY1 1HL
