The Beatles come to Broadway in the musical "Let It Be", performing hit songs and celebrating the band's 50th Anniversary. The show opened at the St. James Theatre on 44th Street, bringing the original cast from the London's West End to Times Square. Because so much singing is required of the performers, "Let It Be" has a rotating cast of actors playing John, Paul, George and Ringo in order to allow them to save their voices.
Here's what the boys had to say about their experience bringing The Beatles to Broadway!
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Is it a big responsibility to play your idol, John Lennon?
I don't think of it that way. You have to have a little bit of arrogance and know that I'm doing it my way. He didn't stick to guidelines and rules that people gave him. When he was performing if he wanted to shout out something on the mic or do something silly, he would just do it. They all knew how to play music, but they knew how to have fun. Having fun was the name of the game.
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How was it bringing The Beatles to Broadway? Did you plan it that way when it first opened?
It all happened pretty quickly, we still are the London cast, and we had a call a couple months ago saying they wanted us on Broadway. A lot the guys have been in Beatles tribute bands, and we're massive Beatles fans. I've always been a Paul McCartney fan, and I sort of discovered The Beatles since I got involved in the show, really. For me, it's great to be on Broadway.
Are there any songs that were specially hard to perform?
The songs are relatively easy to perform, but it's more the mannerisms, to make it sound like Paul McCartney, or The Beatles, that's hard.
Favorite Beatles song?
In the show, "The Long and Winding Road."
There are so many Beatles in the show, how do you rotate characters?
There are a couple Ringos, two is better than one, right?
You never know when you're going to need a second Ringo.
If one falls off the stool and breaks his arm, there's another one to replace him!
What do you think Ringo represented to The Beatles?
Ringo was the backbeat of the band. They were a unit in the beginning, then they developed their own personalities right around 'Hard Day's Night,' and Ringo was the clown of the band, very laid back and not totally into the spotlight too much. It's just nice to see they still had this amazing energy together.
Could Ringo have been replaced?
Drummers can be replaced because they're behind the guys upfront, but Ringo had something that a lot of drummers don't have. He grew up left-handed, and then started developing his style as a right-handed drummer, so he tends to lead with his left, and he plays a little behind the beat a bit, and he has a feel that a lot of other drummers don't have, so that adds a lot to what The Beatles were.
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Were you a fan of George before the show?
I was actually a fan of John Lennon first, but I think I am a fan of George's now, the more I learn about him; he was quite an innovator. He was the first person to put a sitar on a pop song, and he helped bring the whole Indian philosophy movement to the West. He's amazing and I like playing him.
What's the main difference between "Let It Be" in London and here on Broadway?
We've changed the show a little, but most of the show we knew, so it was quite easy for us; but the good thing is that the audiences are amazing here, and just the excitement of being on Broadway. Right from the first song, they're giving us feedback, so it's been a very pleasant surprise.
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Tell me about the show, how do you rotate characters?
There are two casts, and essentially because it's a big show; it's not only music, you're impersonating people, and certainly vocally and for a drummer it's quite a big gig, so having the two casts is a necessary thing. I'm part of the cast in London, and we've been part of the process trying to get a cast based in the States, and some of the talent they have here is unbelievable.
How about coming to Broadway, how did that happen?
Fortunately the show opened in London back in September, and it's just been so well-received that I think the opportunity came up to come here and do it here, and it's been brilliant!
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Do you rotate between Johns?
There's a rotation involved, otherwise we would lose our voices by the end of the day, it's madness; there's a lot of singing involved, as you know obviously.
How do you feel playing John?
It feels very natural. I was very obsessed with him for many years in High School, and ironically just ended up getting a Beatles gig. I'm from Los Angeles, and I started playing in bands over there, and it's a big network, it's a big family this whole Beatles tribute thing. Once you start doing it for a couple years, you get to know everybody, and your name gets out there, so if you're any good you get a lot of work. I'm a new cast member, I haven't been in the show in London, but I've played with several of the guys before. I'm very excited to be on Broadway in the big spotlight.
Did you have to learn how to fake the British accent for the show?
[In a British accent] Well, I don't recall actually learning it, because since I was a young man, you know, it just came naturally. I don't recall a time I didn't know how to speak like this, I swear. [Back to normal] Yes, I think it was already embedded in me. Karaoke is how I learned how to sing, doing John at karaokes. My favorite band in the world is The Beatles, so it's all a very natural process.
John or Paul?
Come on -- John, I was obsessed with the man. I'm John, and I'll be behind John all the way. I'm a songwriter, too, so I relate on that level as well.
What do you think about the conspiracy theories regarding John's death?
I think the guy was just a nut job and decided to kill him. I don't think it was a set-up because John was always for peace. It's a shame that he's gone, I cry about it every once in a while. If he was still alive today, the world would be a much better place. Who knows what amazing music he would have written.
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Ryan Coath (John Lennon):Tell me about making the transition from London to New York?
Technically there are differences, but in terms of the show itself it was relatively easy. There's a section in the British show that's the "Royal Variety Performance," which over here we translate to "The Ed Sullivan Show" because that's the first point of contact with Americans The Beatles had. The American audiences find different things to respond to and laugh at; a lot of our humor seems to be more vocally received here than in London.
Have you adapted to NYC yet?
I still have to do some touristy things, but I feel there's nothing that I'd need to it that I couldn't get a hold of, like if I fancy some organic chicken at 5 o'clock in the morning, I know a place. That doesn't happen in London.
This is kind of a big deal, bringing The Beatles back to New York. And also celebrating the 50th anniversary.
Yes, it was about 50 years ago that The Beatles first landed in New York, so hopefully this show will have a successful run. So people get fascinated again now the same way they did when it first happened.
They're still the greatest band in pop music history, and I think their music needs to live on and on. We don't just do the music that they performed live; we also recreated all the music they did in the studio in the second half of their career. That's ambitious stuff, and it's still difficult to do now with all the technology available now, doing it live on stage, just the four guys and a keyboard player; it's demanding and it's great fun! There are so many great songs and we can't fit them all into the show! We do 41 songs at the moment, and if you came back tomorrow, we could do another show with another 41 songs, and it'll be just as good!
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