PEORIA -- "Rain, a Tribute to the Beatles," opened Jan. 12 at the Peoria Civic Center Theater, and plays again on Jan. 13. With high energy, dazzling music and artistic videos and lighting, it's a terrific event.
The show is actually a history of the Beatles era, the 1960s, as told in video and song. There's no dialogue and none is needed -- just the wonderful enigmatic music and lyrics of the Beatles and the videos showing our shared memories of the time, from JFK to Viet Nam.
The performers are very talented, and look like the young Beatles, as shown in the historic videos, the album covers and film. The music evolves from bubblegum rock to psychedelic to near symphonic, as the video changes from the scene at Shea Stadium in 1965 to surrealistic art that complements the music.
The audience -- mostly aging baby boomers but plenty of young people and elderly -- is coaxed into participating by singing along, clapping, and dancing. This may be as close to a rock concert as some in the audience will ever come, but it all works for a fun two-hour show.
And then there's the music of the Beatles, with its provocative lyrics ('I am the egg man, I am the walrus.' ' I'd love to turn you on'), its unforgetable melodies and chords. This great body of work has already lasted nearly a half century, and has become a classic, in the mold of Gershwin, Cole Porter and the other greats that preceeded the Beatles.
This show plays in Waukegan on Jan. 14, then leaves the Midwest. It sizzles. Don't miss it.
-- Elaine Hopkins
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