On and Off Broadway

'Lennon: Through A Glass Onion'

Review by Elyse Trevers

Posted

There have been many Beatles/ John Lennon impersonators and tribute bands. The performers attempt to imitate the look as well as the sound of the singers. Yet when John R. Waters takes the stage at the Union Square Theater in "Lennon: Through A Glass Onion," wearing a black leather jacket and black T-shirt, he looks far more like Sting than Lennon. Despite having performed in Australia for more than four decades, Waters sounds like a lad from Liverpool. In fact, the audience might take awhile to get used to the accent.
Taking centerstage at the microphone, “John” briefly tells his story, from his family life to the formation of the Beatles, from the group’s celebrity to his life with Yoko and the birth of their son and finally ending with gunshots. Although the words are not actually those of Lennon, he has that biting sarcasm Lennon was known for.
Accompanied by Steward D’Arrietta, who plays a terrific piano, the two present songs that the Beatles did as a group of four as well as several from Lennon’s solo work. They sing more than 30 songs, including Come Together, Woman, Beautiful Boy and Watching The Wheels, which are presented thematically rather than chronologically. Several of the songs are dark and introspective.
The musical isn’t a rousing upbeat 90 minutes of Beatles music, and that might be disappointing for some. But if you close your eyes, at moments you feel as if Lennon has returned to give an intimate private concert. Besides, as John says, if you really want to hear the original Beatles, then just buy the records.