Controlling our smiles and tears
By Ed Rampell
On Dec. 8, 2009 -- the 29th anniversary of John Lennon’s assassination -- Just Imagine brought the man and the music back to life. The one-man show’s premise is that if the ex-Beatle could come back to Earth for one final concert, this is what would happen.
Lennon is embodied by Tim Piper, the Pied Piper of Beatlemania, who has also incarnated the slain musician in TV movies such as CBS’ The Linda McCartney Story and tribute bands. Piper bears a resemblance to the latter day Lennon and, to borrow a phrase from Lennon, is a talent in his own “write.” One thing Piper gets precisely right and captures is the tightness around the troubled, primal screaming/singing Lennon’s mouth. As he talks about Lennon’s life and times and performs, Piper is backed by a rocking quartet called Working Class; I imagine that together they could be called the “Fab Five.”
The stage show includes a large screen upon which various Beatles archival and news clips are projected, opening up the drama beyond the stage’s proverbial fourth wall to reveal Lennon’s era and influences. In general, this worked very effectively to show how Lennon reflected, and in turn, impacted his turbulent times. However, one or two of the montages and their musical accompaniments puzzled me, such as incongruously counterpointing John Lennon/Paul McCartney’s idyllic "Strawberry Fields" to the assassinations of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Sen. Robert Kennedy. Perhaps Piper and director Steve Altman are symbolizing the loss of innocence and forecasting Lennon’s own liquidation, not far from a stretch of Central Park now called “Strawberry Fields”?
The first act cleverly uses Beatles and solo Lennon tunes as a sort of musical diary to reveal the inner self, private life, angst, creative process, collaboration with Paul, daily activities and political activism of one of Rock music’s most prolific geniuses.
While act one does a stellar job revealing Lennon’s life with lyrics, songs, words and video images, the second act is less tight and story based. This was also true for the Four Seasons bio-play, Jersey Boys (book by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice, music by Bob Gaudio, lyrics by Bob Crewe). Perhaps the playwrights of both shows felt that as they’d been storytellers in their first acts, they’d already set up their act twos, and could get away with more loosely constructed second acts emphasizing the music? However, in contrast to Frankie Valli, Lennon’s ending is something straight out of Greek tragedy, and affected how Just Imagine’s rendered a grand finale that, let’s face it, didn’t have a happy ending. In any case, the way Just Imagine uses a piece of Beatles music to suggest Lennon’s murder is quite inspired.
As is much of this musical one-man show, my above “complaints” are really mere quibbles. During the Vietnam War I’d heard Lennon and Yoko Ono play "Give Peace a Chance" at an anti-war rally in New York’s Bryant Park, but I was too young to have heard the Fab Four perform in person. At some point during the first act it suddenly dawned upon me that I’d never heard the rest of their repertoire, those songs that had scored the soundtrack of my generation, performed live. For that reason alone this production is a special treat.
Another treat, after the premiere members of Three Dog Night, Paul Revere and the Raiders and composer Bobby Hart – co-writer of many Monkees hits -- joined Piper and the lads on stage for a rousing rendition of "All You Need is Love." The opening night performance benefited the Save the Music Foundation, which provides public school pupils with musical instruments -– something one can imagine Lennon would heartily approve.
But it is a special holiday delight to have Lennon back with us, even for only a couple of imaginary hours. Mark David Chapman not only stole Lennon’s life, and Ono’s husband and Sean and Julian’s Lennon's father, but imagine how much music his assassin’s bullets stole from the world. Lennon’s murder made us all poorer, and was the perfect curtain raiser to the Ronald Reagan presidency, a warning to all would-be activists to shut the hell up, just as Lennon was silenced as he emerged from a five-year creative hibernation with a new hit album and, reportedly, was preparing to return to the political stage, working class hero that he still was.
When you have a war-mongering president who has the unmitigated gall to use a Nobel Peace Prize speech as a brazen platform to arrogantly rationalize U.S. wars and imperialism (not even Henry Kissinger dared do this when the Nobel committee stupidly gave his Peace Prize), the world needs Lennon more than ever. Just Imagine is not only a good fun trip down memory Penny Lane, but a fitting homage to, and reminder of, one of the planet’s greatest humanitarians, artists and peace activists ever. Give yourself and your loved ones a Christmas gift and go see it. No-Ho-Ho!
We still love you, John, yeah, yeah, yeah!
Just Imagine runs through Dec. 31 at the NoHo Arts Center, 11136 Magnolia Blvd., N. Hollywood, CA., 91601. For more info: 866/811-4111; www.justimaginetheshow.com.
