Not many people are aware of The Fab Fours previous existence, many seeing them as merely a glorified boy band. This is far from the truth as the new musical Backbeat highlights. The London based musical recently started its run in the West end and has been playing to sold out audiences. It is a wonder how many of the audience come in expecting a nice show about The Beatles full of sing a long songs and a bit of a boogie. Wonderfully the real thing is the complete opposite, as audiences are faced with a recount of the events of The Beatles early life in Hamburg struggling to make it as a band. One of the main messages that comes through this is that The Beatles earnt their fame, working every night for at least ten hours trying to entertain some very diverse audiences.
Originally being meant for film I wondered how well the script would transfer to stage. However it truly worked particularly as the actors portray The Beatles very well. The only downside sadly is that Daniel Healy (Paul McCartney) wasn't left handed, understandable a difficult thing to find in an actor who also needs to have other McCartney attributes. Apart from this the cast worked well together and managed to convince the audience completely. One person who truly stood out to me was Nick Blood (Stuart Sutcliffe) whose acting was wonderfully moving. This was particularly prevalent towards the dramatic end. Blood not only managed to have the looks of Sutcliffe but also brought the softness and likeability that Stephen Dorf embodied within the film.
Writing for film is one thing but transforming it to stage is completely another, particularly after seventeen years have passed since its creation. However Iain Softly manages to do this with ease and if you weren't aware that this was a film first then you would be none the wiser. The set worked well as all of the stage was used to create an intimate feel particularly when the actors came and danced around the audience.
One thing that makes this musical stand out is the risqué nature of the story. Not only do we see bare bottoms during some very intimate scenes but we also see strippers and members of The Beatles having sex. Some of the audience seemed to become uncomfortable at this but it is part of the nature of Hamburg at that time and without this Backbeat would have lost its honesty.
Overall the stage version of this wonderful film is worth a look even if just for Blood's wonderful acting and some of the raw talent of the musicians.
