Pinch me if I’m dreaming! It was, after all, a November night that was very much like a dream, as Houston’s Gexa Energy Broadway series presented RAIN: A Tribute to the Beatles.
The audience atmosphere was electrically charged even before the curtain went up on the pop-culture musical revue that just this summer had completed 300 performances on Broadway before setting out on the world tour with this original Broadway cast and its very successful homage to “The Fab Four.” Many of us in the audience attended in the hope of recapturing some of the youthful energy we spent a half-century before while making the Beatles a worldwide musical phenomenon. We would not be disappointed.
The staging was cleverly non-complex. Our four stars (Joey Curatolo as Paul McCartney, Steve Landes as John Lennon, Joe Bithorn as George Harrison & Ralph Castelli as Ringo Starr) are positioned for the most part at center-stage with just a sprinkling of colorful flowers and small palm tree plants. What makes things much more interesting are the skillful use of dazzling psychedelic lighting, and surrounding projections (both backstage and on either side of the proscenium) of carefully selected clips from the Beatles’ fascinating rise to fame. Those clips are presented in such a way as to give the audience the sensation of being present for such pivotal Beatles events as the original “Ed Sullivan Show” appearance in February 1964, and the monumental Shea Stadium concert of August 15, 1965.
But more central to the show’s success is the authenticity of the musical performances that begin with the infectious joy of “I Want to Hold Your Hand,” and “All My Lovin,” and move quickly on to the lush and rich harmonies of “That Boy.” There are the pulsating thrills of “I Saw Her Standing There” and the rhythmic explosion of “A Hard Days Night,” with a fine vocal from Curatolo.
Amusing animated projections of frenzied fans in hot pursuit add to the fun as Mr. Bithorn delivers another excellent vocal with “I’m Happy Just to Dance with You.” A silken rendition of the classic “Yesterday” features brilliant work on acoustic guitar and prompts an audience sing-a-long.
The Shea Stadium segment begins with the projected frenzy of the original crowd as the group delivers a super-charged “I Feel Fine” that has the excited audience feeling the same way. As the lads beam, the joy continues with a thrilling “Day Tripper” and a “Twist and Shout” that has the crowd on its feet and dancing in the aisles.
As the guys take a brief break, we are treated to amusing projections of now-corny television ads of the era featuring the hilarity of Fred and Barney Flintstone promoting Winston cigarettes and housewives discovering the joys of free nylons in boxes of Duz Detergent while piling suds high on their heads as they shampoo with Prell.
Suddenly the gents are back in Peter Max style with the dazzling colors and gleaming satins of the military uniforms in “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” and a nice rendering of “With a Little Help From My Friends.” Spooky floating images accompany the mystery of “Eleanor Rigby,” and misty rainbow colored lighting accents an otherworldly “Strawberry Fields.” Then the first part of the program closes with hand-clapping fun for the fully three generations that span the many audience age groups. Everyone seems to join in for “When I’m 64,” as more cheerful Peter Max images flash by.
Following the intermission, the show reflects on the Beatles’ interest in Eastern mysticism as the guys return to the stage for “Hello Goodbye” dressed in elegant Indian-style costumes highlighted by the brilliant red-orange silk jacket worn by Mr. Curatolo. A pulsing “I Am the Walrus” offers ever-varying pastel lighting and dancing projections clearly inspired by the popular “lava lamps” of the era. Next come selections from the “Rubber Soul” album that include a bright rendition of “Girl,” more perfectly blended harmonies for “In My Life,” and stunning work from all three guitarists during “I’ve Just Seen a Face.”
The next flashing projections bring the audience into the more counter-cultural period of the Vietnam War with images of LBJ, Nixon, Woodstock hippies and bombs dropping, while the musical quartet encourage peace with Landes dressed in an eye-popping yellow suit to lead their stunning performance of “Come Together.”
There are the lashing rhythms of “Get Back” and a plea to “change the world” in “Revolution” that feel oddly current as protestors are on the march around the world. Of course, we get a thrilling “Give Peace a Chance” and a tender “Let it Be” that almost wraps its arms around the appreciative audience. The requisite encore brings the escalating power of “Hey Jude” and cements the audience members as one while they cheerfully join in for the countless choruses.
Is RAIN more fun than having attended one of the original Beatles concerts? It just might have be!
