The revue, complete with strobes, swirling smoke and motorized spots, covers the period from 1964, when The Beatles first set foot on American shores to appear on the Ed Sullivan Show (for those old enough to remember, the sight of the stiff, wooden-faced Sullivan up on the screen evokes fond memories of the ritual of sitting in your jammies, open-mouthed, in front of a 13-inch TV screen on a Sunday evening to watch Sullivan’s parade of comedians, acrobats, pop stars, opera divas, puppeteers and ventriloquists) to 1969, when the country was being torn apart by race riots, assassinations and war protests.
In song after song, amped to the nth-degree, the quartet, which consists of Alan LeBoeuf as Paul, David Leon as John, Josh Brosnan as George and Carmine Grippo as Ringo, captures both the sound and the spirit of a cultural phenomenon that changed the face of the music business.
In comparing the two acts that make up the two-hour show, the first is the tamer of the two, with more restricted use of the screens set left, right and behind the group. However, when we reach the psychedelic era things become, as they should, visually more frantic and frenetic and the audience’s response is heightened so that, with the group’s curtain call songs, “She Loves You” and “Twist and Shout,” the audience, both young and old, is swaying, dancing and generally having one hell of a time. The frame for all of this is not so much the biography of The Beatles as it is the visual biography of an era, complete with black and white TV commercials (the most hilarious of which is a Heinz pickle commercial, with a kung-fu fighting matron who tears up a restaurant because she is served an inferior pickle), film of Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King shortly before their assassinations, San Francisco during the “Season of Love” and the street confrontations during the Democratic convention in Chicago.
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The Band
Alan LeBoeuf (bass guitar)
From Princeton, NJ, Alan has performed the role of Paul McCartney on Broadway with ‘Beatlemania’, and ‘Rain’. Other major Beatle show credits include ‘All You Need Is Love’, Classical Mystery Tour’, and ‘She Loves You’. Alan also had 8 top ten hits on the Country charts with RCA Records’ ‘Baillie and the Boys’. Alan has also written songs for Sawyer Brown, the Shooters, and the movie sound track to ‘Head On’ starring Sally Kellerman. Television credits include appearances on The Nashville Network, Live at the Grand Ole Opry, and You Can Be a Star (as a guest celebrity judge). Background vocal credits include Randy Travis, the Ramones, Dan Seales, Moe Bandy, Marty Stuart, Marie Osmond, Anne Murray, and Lynn Anderson. He has sung national commercials for Exxon, Pepsi, and Gallo wine, and is currently recording with the Wrecking Crew.
John Brosnan (lead guitar)
John, born in Australia, and now residing in London, England, performed the role of George Harrison in ‘Let It Be’ on Broadway, as well as in the West End, in London. Other major Beatle show credits include ‘All You Need Is Love’, ‘Classical Mystery Tour’, and ‘She Loves You’. John studied classical piano performance and theory at the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music, and achieved top 20 chart success as an original artist in Australia (Festival Records), as well as a top 100 hit on Sony Records, NY. He also played in the Alex Smith Band (Moving Pictures) alongside Andy Thompson (Elton John, Dire Straits) and Malcolm Foster (The Pretenders, Simple Minds). TV and radio appearances and performances include ‘The BBC with Terry Wogan’, The Late Late Show for RTE Dublin, ITV’s London Weekend Show with Aled Jones, BBC Proms in Hyde Park, as well as numerous appearances on CNN, CBS, and Fox News in the States.
David Leon (rhythm guitar)
From Hollywood, CA, David portrayed John Lennon in the motion picture ‘Beatlemania” and starred in “Rain” on Broadway. Other important Beatle credits include ‘All You Need Is Love’, Classical Mystery Tour’, and ‘She Loves You’. He recorded an album with his band ‘Helmet Boy’ for Electra Records, and has performed with such artists as ‘The Rembrandts’, Rick Springfield, Peter Noone, Mitch Ryder, Badfinger, Box Tops, and Tiny Tim. Davis has also sung national jingles for Campbells’ Soup, and Snickers.
Carmine Grippo (drums)
Carmine, born in New Haven, CT and currently living in Hollywood, CA, has performed the role of Ringo Starr in major Beatle shows around the world including ‘All You Need Is Love’,’ Classical Mystery Tour’, and ‘She Loves You’, which he produced. His acting credits include (TV) Pawn Stars, Evening Shade, Dark Skies, Cheers, and Beverly Hills 90210. (Film) Independence Day, Wayne’s World 2, and Last Man Standing. Carmine has also performed on drums with Mickey Dolenz (Monkeys), Gene Simmons (Kiss), Brian Johnson (AC/DC), Brian Howe (Bad Company), and Neil Innes (Rutles/Monty Python)
