BACKBEAT: The BIRTH of the BEATLES at the ROYAL ALEXANDRA THEATRE

King Blue-King West Village certainly has its share of fabulous restaurants and unique shops, but our neighbourhood is equally renowned for its theatre. This past week, after a tasty bite at Jack Astor’s on John Street, my friend and I went to see Backbeat: The Birth of the Beatles at the beautiful Royal Alexandra Theatre.

And when it comes to theatre, there’s always something to see in King West. The Royal Alexandra Theatre, Princess of Wales Theatre and Roy Thomson Hall are within blocks of each other.  For several years now I’ve held a Mirvish Subscription, so luckily, I get an evening out in King West about once month.

Going to ‘The Alex’,  is always a treat. Designated a National Historic Site of Canada, the theatre is a sure-stop for tourists. If you live, work or play in the King West neighbourhood, the Entertainment District is yours to enjoy anytime! As for ‘The Alex’, I love the 19^th century architecture, the opulent lobby and in the stairwells, signed photographs of famous actors who have graced the stage since it opened on August 26, 1907.  On this visit, as always, I marveled at the enormous sounding-board mural of “Venus and Attendants Discover the Sleeping Adonis” by the Canadian painter Frederick S. Challener. Mirvish is synonymous with good theatre and Backbeat: The Birth of the Beatles was no exception.

The fact-based drama takes place in Liverpool, Hamburg and London between 1960 and 1963, during The Beatles’ formative years as a struggling bar band. Surprisingly, it’s the little-known story of the original member, Stuart Sutcliffe, a close friend of John Lennon that takes centre stage. When Sutcliffe falls in love with Astrid, a German photographer, he questions his commitment to the band and, as a consequence, his friendship with Lennon and the other band members is strained. In the end choices are made, destinies decided.

As for the music, Backbeat’s plot provided many opportunities to recreate The Beatles energetic early performances—Johnny B Goode, Good Golly Miss Molly, My Bonnie, Money (That’s What I Want), P.S. I Love You, Twist And Shout, to name a few. The finale had many of us on our feet clapping, stomping, singing or dancing along with the actors who ran throughout the theatre and mixed with the audience.

Spilling out onto King West afterwards, as my friend and I headed two short blocks to Tim Horton’s, I hummed, Love Me Do, and remembered…