Beatlemania was a Broadwaymusicalrevue focused on the music of the Beatles as it related to the events and changing attitudes of the tumultuous 1960s. A "rockumentary," advertised as "Not the Beatles, but an incredible simulation,"[1] it ran from May 1977 to October 1979[2] for a total of 1,006 performances.
Synopsis
Beatlemania took the form of a roughly chronological history of the Beatles via their music. A total of 29 songs were performed during the show. Other than some unscripted onstage banter, there was very little dialogue during the production, which consisted mostly of exact re-enactments of the Beatles' music. The ground-breaking multimedia production was notable for its extensive use of backdrops, projected images on multiple screens, film, newspaper headlines, and video footage to evoke the 1960s and iconic Beatle moments.[3][4]
Productions
Originally conceived and produced by Steve Leber and David Krebs,[1]Beatlemania debuted in Boston at the Colonial Theatre in April 1977. It premiered on Broadway at the Winter Garden Theatre on May 31, 1977 (after previewing since May 26 — although no critics were invited),[4] with cast members Joe Pecorino (rhythm guitar, John), Mitch Weissman (bass guitar, Paul), Les Fradkin (lead guitar, George), and Justin McNeill (drums, Ringo) along with an alternating cast: Randy Clark "John", Reed Kailing "Paul", P.M. Howard "George", and Bobby Taylor "Ringo."[3][5]
Quickly achieving sellout status without ever having an official "opening night", Beatlemania saw great success and coverage in Time, People, Us, Newsweek, and Rolling Stone. For the first six months, every ticket for the show was sold out.[citation needed]
The production was nominated for the 1978 Tony Award for Best Lighting Design by designer Jules Fisher. Sound design by Abe Jacob.
The Broadway show ran until October 17, 1979, for a total of 1006 performances; grossing more than $40 million.[6] During its New York run, the show moved to the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre and finally the Palace Theatre.
As the show expanded, over 50 cast members formed 10 "bunks" (or casts of a single set of four). As the New York show continued its run, shows were opened in Los Angeles, Chicago, Cincinnati, and London. At its peak, Beatlemania had limited-engagements in many more cities in the U.S. and abroad.
After closing on Broadway, the Beatlemania Bus and Truck Tour began, running until 1983 and touring across the United States and worldwide. Short-term tours of Australia, Europe, Asia, and Africa were produced after 1982.
A 1986 decision in a lawsuit by the Beatles production company Apple Corps officially ended the show for a period of time, but subsequent revival tours were still produced under such titles as Beatlemania: Yesterday and Today[7] and Beatlemania Now.[8]
Beatlemania: The Album
In 1978, Beatlemania released a self-titled original cast album of the show which included contributions from the first and second cast of performers from the show (as well as five additional off-stage musicians — keyboards; violin; cello; sax/flute/recorder; trumpet/piccolo trumpet and oboe). Released on Arista Records in 1978, the album received warm audience reaction, even placing on the Billboard 200 for several weeks, before falling into obscurity.
Tracks from the album included most but not all of the original show's song list, and several of the tracks were either re-recorded entirely or partially re-recorded in the studio. Original cast members that appear on the album include Mitch Weissman, Joe Pecorino, Les Fradkin, Justin McNeill, Randy Clark, Reed Kailing, P. M. Howard, and Bobby Taylor.
Beatlemania: The Movie
After three years of production USA Video Productions took an interest in making a film version of the Beatlemania stage show. After a brief contract negotiation, Beatlemania: The Movie began production in late 1980 (shortly before the murder of John Lennon). Directed by Joseph Manduke, the film's cast featured Mitch Weissman (bass guitar; "Paul"), David Leon (rhythm guitar; "John"), Tom Teeley (lead guitar; "George"), and Ralph Castelli (drums; "Ringo").[9]
Beatlemania: The Movie was released in the summer of 1981 and received negative reviews. Janet Maslin of The New York Times, "Beatlemania was a horror on the stage, and it's even more of a horror at close range, where the seams really show. This isn't a loving impersonation, or even an honest one. It's cheap, disingenuous and loathsome."[10]Jonathan Rosenbaum of the Chicago Reader wrote, "My idea of hell is being forced at gunpoint to resee this ... atrocity, ... based on a terrible stage musical."[9] Other observers[who?] criticized the film for being too artsy and not worthy of being associated with the stageshow; plans for a follow-up film were immediately cancelled.[citation needed]
Apple Corps lawsuit
In 1979, Apple Corps sued show creator Steve Leber and Beatlemania's producers, alleging that Apple Corps owned various publicity rights and trademarks, and Leber and others "appropriated to themselves" the value of those trademarks and the Beatles' goodwill and fame without paying for it. In 1986, Los Angeles Superior Court judge Paul Breckenridge found in favor of Apple Corps, and ordered Leber and Beatlemania Inc. to pay Apple $5.6 million, plus 7% interest from September 1979. He also found that Apple was entitled to a court order barring the further unconsented use or exploitation of the Beatles, and that Beatlemania's actions "amounted to virtually a complete appropriation of the Beatles' persona" without their consent.[11][12]
The judge also found that Ely Landau and the This Is The Week That Was Beatlemania Company, which produced the Beatlemania film, were liable $2 million and 7% interest, also payable to Apple Corps.[12]
Music
The musical numbers in the show (all written by Lennon–McCartney), based on the Broadway opening, were:[13]
Because of the vocal strain (especially for "Paul") involved in doing 8 or more shows per week, each production utilized two casts or "Bunks," as they were dubbed by musical director Sandy Yaguda (after they had dubbed him "Camp Counselor"). The Original Broadway production featured Bunk 1: Mitch Weissman, Joe Pecorino, Les Fradkin and Justin McNeill.[3] and Bunk 2: Randy Clark, Reed Kailing, P.M. Howard, and Bobby Taylor.[5] Subsequent cast members were added as the show expanded with several touring casts. Casts and casting became independent after 1984 as revival and current casts tour under many different Beatle-related nomenclatures. (It is common practice for other Beatles tribute bands to promote themselves falsely as "Original Broadway Cast".)[citation needed]
John Lennon
Joe Pecorino
Randy Clark - also played "John" with "RAIN: a Tribute to The Beatles", "Imagine: a Tribute to John Lennon" (with members of the Elephant's Memory/Plastic Ono bands), and "Legends In Concert" in Las Vegas and on Broadway
