Lennon Through A Glass Onion

The show is almost a scam. Here’s why:
1 — Not a single song is played entirely, we only got 10s of ‘Whatever gets you through the night’ for example. ‘Come together’ does not reach ‘Over me’, etc.
2 — Waters is simply not a singer. He just can’t reach the highest notes so he sings something else. Instead of being powerful he is pushy, it’s painful to hear.
3 — Waters is simply not a guitar player. Being a musician and sitting close to the stage I couldn’t believe to see how he simplified the chords, skipping some like on ‘Crippled inside’, with a very sloppy beat. That’s probably fine when playing for your buddies in a bar or at the camp fire, but not when people pay 90 $ a piece to see you.
However I have to say that the pianist knows how to play, that’s the only thing positive but it doesn’t make a good show.
I have seen other concert with just a guitar, a piano and a voice where the singer gave me chills by his talent, but not definitely not here ! I guess he has fun doing it though. Too bad for us he made it a show.

The show was not bad. However, I must warn those, like myself, who do not know the full history of John Lennon. It’s harder to pick up on the references and queues.
Music was great, and actors were talented.
No intermission though, so be sure to use the loo early on.

If you are a Beatle fan or John Lennon fan you’ll enjoy this stage performance.
Some of the songs are very familiar and some is totally unknown to me. I know about ²⁄₃ of the songs only.
The performance by the two actor and musicians are solid.
The music is so great and the John Lennon’s accent is almost perfect.
Between songs are bites of information, annecdotes, stories, politic comments and jokes. Listen fast or you’ll miss them.
The show last an hours and 15 mins with no break.
I would see it again if I had the opportunity.

After watching this play first thing I thought was that I was in a concert but just sitting instead of standing. I must admit I am not a huge big time John Lennon fan, but I found that with this play I was able to learn new songs. I did recognize a couple of songs and for being 2 people doing the show it was great. they did such a great job especially without having no intermission and going 90 minutes straight. I would definitely recommend this play more to people that are huge fan but I was happy I attended.

The show was very well executed and the Liverpuddlian accent of the main singer made me laugh more than once, but I’m not overly familiar with John Lennon’s catalog so the show felt like a first person, two man interpretive tribute. That being said, I think that was the intention and the majority of the audience looked captivated as they sang along under their breath.
For 90 minutes without intermission we had a peek inside an artist’s potential thoughts and a cogent narrative tying together his songs in an emotional manner. I wanted to cry a bit at a few of the songs I did recognize, based on the lines they were couched with, especially at the end (unless you have been under a rock for the past three decades, you walk in knowing that this is not going to end well).
If you are a fan of Lennon, go see this before it closes. If you are not, go so you can learn something new, just do not expect a happy ending. Thank you Ruggy and Manhattan Unilocal

There are a few things to mention about this play up front: If you don’t know a lot about John Lennon, this play probably won’t be your favorite; while you will get a really good feel for the kind of guy he was from the main actor, it helps to know a bit about him before you go. If you don’t like the music of the late Beatles or Lennon’s solo career, this play is probably not for you; as you can imagine there is a ton of music in this show (see what I did there?)
I was a solid mix of excited and apprehensive when I saw this event posted. I grew up listing to the Beatles /​John Lennon’s solo work, and was eager to see this plays take on the larger than life figure that he was. As intrigued as I was however, there were a few things I was worried about:
* I was afraid that they might make a spectacle of the man’s life (sort of how the media did while he was still around)
* The last thing I wanted to see was some whitewashed version of «the history of John Lennon», making him out to be some infallible figure with no flaws at all
Any apprehensive thoughts of some ridiculously flashy play were put to rest when we walked into the theater and found a simple stage, sporting only a piano and guitar. As for the question of a «cleaned up» version of his life, the first sentence out of the actor’s mouth washed that concern away; this play was exactly as it should have been — a raw history of John Lennon’s life through his music.
The theater itself was located just off of Union Square Park on 17^th street, an easy and unique location for a play. I love old theaters in this city — the architecture is so grand, they just don’t make things that look as epic anymore. Walking in we found a small will call booth where we were handed our two tickets — amazing front row seats (I was so stoked to find out where we were sitting). Passing into the lobby, we were greeted by a majestic double staircase and the concession stand. I loved how this place handled the food and drinks; «this show has no intermissions» we were told «so bring what you want to eat or drink in now, we won’t be serving anything once the play begins» as such we ordered up a bottle of wine (35 $, amazing deal if you consider how much drinks normally cost at a show on-​Broadway), and two glasses — Super cool. Bottle in hand, we made our way into the theater proper, and found that awesomely simple stage I mentioned earlier, along with a spectacular vaulted ceiling.
The show started when the two musician/​actors came out; with no introduction a round of gun shots were heard, and the duo started playing a Beatles song. Simple lighting combinations accenting the Lennon character (who played guitar and took us through Jon’s later life with spoken word) in various ways with great effect. The music was absolutely fantastic, but the piano player stole the musical show. This was evident when the main songs were going on, as the piano was playing the melodies that we all recognized, the guitar constituting a minor role in most songs (save revolution, which had to by its nature be a guitar heavy song). Even when the duo was not playing a song he was back there quietly keying subtle Beatles riffs that complimented what the main character was saying in a really poetic way– it also help us know what «phase» of Jon’s life we were in; the music evolved as he did. The spoken word parts of the show were raw and emotional, and I really liked the transitions the actors made from music to conversation — they could either flow from dialog into a song smoothly or abruptly stop a song to drive a point home. An amazing performance, if you a fan of John Lennon this show is absolutely worth checking out.
Huge shout out to Ruggy and Unilocal NYC– Thanks for an awesomely unique evening!

What this show has going for it are timeless classic songs, well performed by two very talented musicians/​singers. A great evening (or, in our case, afternoon) of music. John R. Waters has mastered a persuasive Liverpudlian accent and links the songs with a series of dewy-​eyed impressions and anecdotes– –few of them memorable but all of them mercifully brief. The show overall has a bit of an amateurish, low budget feel. What makes it compelling, and well worth the (discounted) ticket price I paid, are the songs and the passion with which Waters delivers them.

I feel like I just went to a concert! :) Excellent vocals, tear-​jerker and lots of laughs. This is a 2-​man show. Don’t expect a huge band. Loved it!
The show goes through most of the hits, with preludes in between each song chronicling Lennon’s life/​career.
Smart, Clever, Funny, Inspiring.
Great show! Thank you Unilocal for this opportunity. I wish this show much success!

Lennon was an afternoon delight! It was a beautifully performed walk through a period of time I remember well. Stewart D’Arrietta was amazing on the piano without one sheet of music. GO NOW!