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Lennon (musical)
Encyclopedia
Lennon is a musical
with music and lyrics by John Lennon
and book
by Don Scardino
, who also directed its premiere. The musical is about the life of John Lennon
and was notable for Scardino's choice to be almost exclusively-based on Lennon's own words and to focus on Lennon's solo career, with no songs from the Lennon/McCartney
catalogue.
The "$7 million bio-musical" first opened in San Francisco, California
in April 2005. After what The Times
described as "a troubled try-out in San Francisco, a cancelled run in Boston and a radical rewrite", it had 42 previews and 49 performances on Broadway
at the Broadhurst Theatre
from August 14 to September 24, 2005. The roles of Lennon is played by performers of both sexes and different ages and skin colors, an approach Scardino said was inspired by "I Am the Walrus
" where Lennon writes, "I am he, as you are he, as you are me, and we are all together." This use of multiple actors was scaled back after the San Francisco production, with the final rewrite having a single actor narrating Lennon's story.
Yoko Ono
was actively involved in the production, retaining final script approval and requiring the show's Broadway producers to complete the script and present it to her live (albeit in workshop format).. The show's credits included the phrase "With Special Thanks to Yoko Ono Lennon"; Ono was frequently seen at the theatre during the show's Broadway run.
The limited use of Beatles songs, attributed to creative choices and not licensing issues, led critics to dismiss the work as “Ono-centric”. Ono was unapologetic about the choice: "If we put Yesterday
in, it's not really fair to the Beatles because we're leaning on their power. We're talking about John now, thank you." She later said “It is definitely John’s story — from Liverpool
1940 to New York 1980. I am the B-side, and that’s how it should be. I think he would have loved it.” The musical also conspicuously omitted any mention of May Pang
, Lennon's lover for a period of 18 months in the years 1974-75 when the singer was separated from Ono.
The Broadway premiere was produced by Edgar Lansbury
(who conceived the show and brought in Scardino), Clear Channel Entertainment and Jeffrey Sine.
The opening night cast of Lennon included Will Chase
(who as narrator was the "lead" John Lennon), Chuck Cooper
, Julie Danao-Salkin, Mandy Gonzalez
, Marcy Harriell
, Chad Kimball
, Terrence Mann
, Julia Murney
, Michael Potts, Rona Figueroa, Mark Richard Ford, Nicole Lewis and Darin Murphy.
The show opened to awful reviews, with Ben Brantley
of The New York Times
stating:
Playbill
quoted Paul Shaffer
in its coverage of the musical's opening night:
article mentioned that the rarely-heard Lennon song "Cookin' (in the Kitchen of Love)" (heard on the Ringo's Rotogravure
album by Ringo Starr
) would also be included, though the song was cut before the musical's Broadway opening.
Act I
Act II
Musical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
with music and lyrics by John Lennon
John Lennon
John Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...
and book
Libretto
A libretto is the text used in an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata, or musical. The term "libretto" is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major liturgical works, such as mass, requiem, and sacred cantata, or even the story line of a...
by Don Scardino
Don Scardino
Don Scardino is an American television director and producer and a former actor.-Acting:Born in New York City, Scardino began his career as an actor. His first Broadway credit was as an understudy in The Playroom in 1965. Additional Broadway acting credits include Johnny No-Trump, Godspell, and...
, who also directed its premiere. The musical is about the life of John Lennon
John Lennon
John Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...
and was notable for Scardino's choice to be almost exclusively-based on Lennon's own words and to focus on Lennon's solo career, with no songs from the Lennon/McCartney
Lennon/McCartney
The Lennon–McCartney songwriting partnership is one of the best-known and most successful musical collaborations in history...
catalogue.
The "$7 million bio-musical" first opened in San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
in April 2005. After what The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
described as "a troubled try-out in San Francisco, a cancelled run in Boston and a radical rewrite", it had 42 previews and 49 performances on Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
at the Broadhurst Theatre
Broadhurst Theatre
The Broadhurst Theatre is a legitimate Broadway theatre located at 235 West 44th Street in midtown Manhattan.It was designed by architect Herbert J. Krapp, a well-known theatre designer who had been working directly with the Shubert brothers; the Broadhurst opened 27 September 1917...
from August 14 to September 24, 2005. The roles of Lennon is played by performers of both sexes and different ages and skin colors, an approach Scardino said was inspired by "I Am the Walrus
I Am the Walrus
"I Am the Walrus" is a 1967 song by The Beatles, written by John Lennon and credited to Lennon–McCartney. Lennon claimed he wrote the first two lines on separate acid trips. The song was in the Beatles' 1967 television film and album Magical Mystery Tour, and was the B-side to the #1 hit "Hello,...
" where Lennon writes, "I am he, as you are he, as you are me, and we are all together." This use of multiple actors was scaled back after the San Francisco production, with the final rewrite having a single actor narrating Lennon's story.
Yoko Ono
Yoko Ono
is a Japanese artist, musician, author and peace activist, known for her work in avant-garde art, music and filmmaking as well as her marriage to John Lennon...
was actively involved in the production, retaining final script approval and requiring the show's Broadway producers to complete the script and present it to her live (albeit in workshop format).. The show's credits included the phrase "With Special Thanks to Yoko Ono Lennon"; Ono was frequently seen at the theatre during the show's Broadway run.
The limited use of Beatles songs, attributed to creative choices and not licensing issues, led critics to dismiss the work as “Ono-centric”. Ono was unapologetic about the choice: "If we put Yesterday
Yesterday (song)
"Yesterday" is a song originally recorded by The Beatles for their 1965 album Help!. The song first hit the United Kingdom top 10 three months after the release of Help!. The song remains popular today with more than 1,600 cover versions, one of the most covered songs in the history of recorded...
in, it's not really fair to the Beatles because we're leaning on their power. We're talking about John now, thank you." She later said “It is definitely John’s story — from Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
1940 to New York 1980. I am the B-side, and that’s how it should be. I think he would have loved it.” The musical also conspicuously omitted any mention of May Pang
May Pang
May Fung Yee Pang is best known as the former girlfriend of John Lennon. She had previously worked as a personal assistant and production coordinator for Lennon and his wife, Yoko Ono....
, Lennon's lover for a period of 18 months in the years 1974-75 when the singer was separated from Ono.
Broadway opening
The Broadway production went into previews on July 7, 2005, opened August 14, 2005, in which it ran for forty-one days, and closed on September 24 of the same year.The Broadway premiere was produced by Edgar Lansbury
Edgar Lansbury (producer)
Edgar Lansbury is an award-winning British theatre, film, and television producer.Born in London, Lansbury was the son of Belfast-born actress Moyna MacGill and Edgar Lansbury, a politician and businessman, and the grandson of former Labour Party leader George Lansbury...
(who conceived the show and brought in Scardino), Clear Channel Entertainment and Jeffrey Sine.
The opening night cast of Lennon included Will Chase
Will Chase
Will Chase is an American actor and singer, best known for his work in Broadway musicals.Chase was born in Frankfort, Kentucky to Jerry and Betty Chase and is the youngest of three boys...
(who as narrator was the "lead" John Lennon), Chuck Cooper
Chuck Cooper (actor)
This article is about the African-American actor. For the late former pioneering African-American NBA basketball player, see Chuck Cooper .Chuck Cooper is an American actor....
, Julie Danao-Salkin, Mandy Gonzalez
Mandy Gonzalez
Mandy Gonzalez is an American actress and singer, who most recently finished a 10-month run as Elphaba in the Broadway musical Wicked.-Early life and education:...
, Marcy Harriell
Marcy Harriell
Marcy Harriell is an American musical theater and television actress.Harriell starred as Maria in a 1996 tour of the Broadway musical West Side Story and replaced Daphne Rubin-Vega as Mimi in the Broadway production of Rent. She made her Broadway debut on April 4, 1997...
, Chad Kimball
Chad Kimball
Chad Kimball is a Tony Nominated American theater actor. Kimball was raised in Seattle, Washington and graduated from Boston Conservatory with a BFA in acting in 1999. After moving to New York, he was hired for the Broadway musical, The Civil War, joining the show 3 weeks before it closed...
, Terrence Mann
Terrence Mann
Terrence Vaughan Mann is an American actor, director, singer, songwriter and dancer who has been prominent on the Broadway stage for the past three decades...
, Julia Murney
Julia Murney
Julia Kathleen Murney is an American actress, singer and theatre performer, primarily featured in theatre and television commercial voice-overs. Until 2005, she was commonly known as the Broadway actress who had technically never appeared on Broadway...
, Michael Potts, Rona Figueroa, Mark Richard Ford, Nicole Lewis and Darin Murphy.
The show opened to awful reviews, with Ben Brantley
Ben Brantley
Benjamin D. "Ben" Brantley is an American journalist and the chief theater critic of The New York Times.-Life and career:...
of The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
stating:
In the immortal words of Yoko Ono, "Aieeeee!" A fierce primal scream - of the kind Ms. Ono is famous for as a performance and recording artist - is surely the healthiest response to the agony of "Lennon," the jerry-built musical shrine that opened last night at the Broadhurst Theater.
Playbill
Playbill
Playbill is a monthly U.S. magazine for theatregoers. Although there is a subscription issue available for home delivery, most Playbills are printed for particular shows to be distributed at the door...
quoted Paul Shaffer
Paul Shaffer
Paul Allen Wood Shaffer, CM is a Canadian musician, actor, voice actor, author, comedian, and composer who has been David Letterman's sidekick since 1982.-Early years:...
in its coverage of the musical's opening night:
I just thought it was phenomenal. It reminded me of what an influence John was — how strong an influence he was not only in popular music but in culture, and how much we miss him. He was a remarkable writer. He'd do catchy so you loved the song right away, then the second time you would hear more of it. Let's face it: the more you listen to his music, the more you hear. I'm still learning things when I hear his songs.
Songs
The musical includes two previously unpublished songs by Lennon: "India, India" and "I Don't Want to Lose You". A December 2004 PlaybillPlaybill
Playbill is a monthly U.S. magazine for theatregoers. Although there is a subscription issue available for home delivery, most Playbills are printed for particular shows to be distributed at the door...
article mentioned that the rarely-heard Lennon song "Cookin' (in the Kitchen of Love)" (heard on the Ringo's Rotogravure
Ringo's Rotogravure
Ringo's Rotogravure is the fifth album by Ringo Starr, released in 1976. Following the end of his contract with EMI, Starr signed on with Polydor Records worldwide and was eager to see his solo success continue on in a new era.Two years on from 1974's Goodnight...
album by Ringo Starr
Ringo Starr
Richard Starkey, MBE better known by his stage name Ringo Starr, is an English musician and actor who gained worldwide fame as the drummer for The Beatles. When the band formed in 1960, Starr was a member of another Liverpool band, Rory Storm and the Hurricanes. He became The Beatles' drummer in...
) would also be included, though the song was cut before the musical's Broadway opening.
Act I
- New York City
- MotherMother (John Lennon song)Mother is a song by British musician John Lennon, first released on his 1970 album John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band. An edited version of the song was issued as a single in the United States on Apple Records, catalogue 1827, about three weeks after the album. The single runs about fifteen seconds...
- Look at MeLook at Me (John Lennon song)"Look at Me" is a song written and performed by John Lennon, from his solo debut album John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band. Written during the extended White Album sessions of 1967–1968, it was shelved until its release on Lennon's 1970 debut album...
- Money
- Twist and ShoutTwist and Shout"Twist and Shout" is a song written by Phil Medley and Bert Russell. It was originally titled "Shake It Up, Baby" and recorded by the Top Notes and then covered by The Isley Brothers. It was covered by The Beatles with John Lennon on the lead vocals and originally released on their first album...
- Instant Karma!Instant Karma!"Instant Karma!" is a song written by John Lennon, released as a single in 1970 on Apple Records, catalogue Apple 1003 in the United Kingdom, Apple 1818 in the United States. It is the third solo single issued by Lennon, and it peaked at #3 on both the Billboard Hot 100 and Cash Box Top 100 singles...
- India, IndiaIndia, India"India, India" is a song written by John Lennon and recorded in 1980 but not released until 2010's John Lennon Signature Box. The song, with "I Don't Want to Lose You", was also featured in the 2005 musical Lennon.-History:...
- Real Love (Girls and Boys)
- Oh My LoveOh My Love"Oh My Love" is a song written by John Lennon and Yoko Ono that appeared on Lennon's Imagine album in 1971. George Harrison contributed guitar on this and several other songs for the album.-Information:...
- Mind GamesMind Games (song)"Mind Games" is a song written by John Lennon, released as a single in 1973 on Apple Records, catalogue Apple 1868 in the US and Apple R5994 in the UK. It peaked at #18 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #26 on the British singles chart...
- The Ballad of John and Yoko
- How Do You Sleep?
- GodJohn LennonJohn Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...
- Give Peace a ChanceGive Peace a Chance"Give Peace a Chance" is a song written by John Lennon, originally under the moniker Lennon–McCartney, released as a single in 1969 by the Plastic Ono Band on Apple Records, catalogue Apple 13 in the United Kingdom, Apple 1809 in the United States. It is the first solo single issued by Lennon, and...
Act II
- Power to the PeoplePower to the People (song)"Power to the People" is a song written by John Lennon, released as a single in 1971 by John Lennon and the Plastic Ono Band on Apple Records, catalogue Apple R5892 in the United Kingdom and Apple 1830 in the United States. It peaked at #11 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #7 on the British singles chart...
- Woman Is the Nigger of the WorldWoman Is the Nigger of the World"Woman Is the Nigger of the World" is a song written by John Lennon & Yoko Ono and recorded by John Lennon. It was released as a single on Apple Records in the United States and in New Zealand and Japan, but was withdrawn from release in Britain. It peaked at #57 on the Billboard Hot 100, making...
- Attica StateAttica State (song)"Attica State" is a song by John Lennon. It appeared on his and Yoko Ono's album, Some Time in New York City. It is about the Attica State prison riots...
- Gimme Some TruthGimme Some Truth"Gimme Some Truth" is a protest song written and performed by John Lennon from his 1971 album Imagine.Like several songs on the album, such as the title track "Imagine", "Gimme Some Truth" has blatant political references emerging from the time it was written, during the latter years of the Vietnam...
- I'm Losing YouI'm Losing You (song)"I'm Losing You" is a song written by John Lennon released on his 1980 album Double Fantasy. It was written in Bermuda in June 1980, after Lennon failed at an attempted telephone call to Yoko Ono...
/I'm Moving On - I'm Stepping OutI'm Stepping Out"I'm Stepping Out" is the final single from the final John Lennon and Yoko Ono album Milk and Honey. In it, Lennon celebrates his enthusiasm for the night life of New York City, and makes tongue in cheek reference to his "househusband" period. It reached #88 in the UK Singles chart and #55 in the...
- I Don't Want to Lose You (Now and ThenNow and Then (song)"Now and Then" is the name given to an unreleased composition by John Lennon...
) - Whatever Gets You Thru the NightWhatever Gets You thru the Night"Whatever Gets You Thru the Night" is a song written by John Lennon, released as a single in 1974 on Apple Records, catalogue Apple 1874 in the United States and Apple R5998 in the United Kingdom. It peaked at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #36 on the British singles chart...
- Woman
- Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy)Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy)"Beautiful Boy " is a song written and performed by John Lennon. It was released on the 1980 album Double Fantasy, the last album by Lennon and Ono released before his death....
- Watching the WheelsWatching the Wheels"Watching the Wheels" is a single by John Lennon released posthumously in 1981 after his murder. It was the third and final single released from Lennon and Yoko Ono's Double Fantasy album, and reached #10 in the U.S and #30 in the UK....
- (Just Like) Starting Over(Just Like) Starting Over" Starting Over" is a song written and performed by John Lennon for his album, Double Fantasy. The B-side was Yoko Ono's "Kiss Kiss Kiss". It was released as a single on 24 October 1980 and reached number one in both the USA and UK two weeks after he was murdered. It is his biggest solo American...
- Grow Old with MeGrow Old with Me"Grow Old With Me" is one of the final songs written by John Lennon. It was recorded by Lennon as a demo at his home in the Dakota Building in 1980, and later appeared on the posthumous album, Milk and Honey in 1984. It was also considered as a possible reunion single by his former bandmates during...
- ImagineImagine (song)"Imagine" is a song written and performed by the English musician John Lennon. It is the opening track on his album Imagine, released in 1971...
External links
- July 2005 Interview with Terrence Mann from the American Theatre WingAmerican Theatre WingThe American Theatre Wing is a New York City-based organization "dedicated to supporting excellence and education in theatre," according to its mission statement...
website (includes an MP3 podcast) - Then John Met Yoko, and the Rest Is a Musical, an August 2005 New York Times review