Backbeat

Backbeat at the citizens is the interesting and largely untold story of the 5th Beatle. This stage adaptation and re-imagining of the film for the stage tells the story of the legendary band's first foray into music in Hamburg in the 60s. Their 5th member, Stuart Sutcliffe, is an artist at heart and finds trouble settling into the band after meeting the love of his life. The production, however, sadly lets down what should be a fascinating and gripping tale.

Slowly paced, the production mainly seems to be overlong, especially in the first act, where one feels constantly in search of the next plot movement. The piece also feels constantly overdone, and overly fussed with. The constant interruption of tacky video projections make are not unlike something from "sin city", and really don't fit with a piece set in the 60s. In reality they simply distract from the action (sometimes this is a good thing...)

Sadly the main letdown in this production is in the lead actor Alex Robertson playing 5th Beatle Sutcliffe. His constant "moodiness" is obviously an attempt to portray the tormented mind of the artist, but comes across simply as static and bland. As my guest who has seen the original film put it "he was camping it up way too much". Apparently the comparisons in character portrayal between the two media are immense.

This poor performance is thankfully improved greatly by excellent support from XX playing John Lennon of History Boys and Gavin and Stacey fame. His comic timing is impeccable, though his performance can also be at times incredibly sentimental and touching. The one thing all of our "Beatles" can be applauded for is the musical interludes which punctuate the piece. They play with a great energy and vibrancy which livens up what would be otherwise an unbearably slow production. Note also has to go to the young Isabella Calthorpe playing Astrid, Sutcliffe's love interest who's delivery is subtle and heartfelt.

Overall this script has potential - the story when condensed is interesting both for those familiar with the tale of the 5th Beatle and those, like myself, who are merely fans with the music of one of the greatest bands in history. The production, and some of the acting, sadly lets down the piece which feels constantly fiddled with and overly fussy. It also needs serious cutting, the play comes in at a whopping 2h 35 and failed to hold my attention for this length of time. This has clearly been written with a nod to a potential future west end/ touring production, but needs serious work to get there.

Backbeat is on at the Citizens, Glasgow until the 6th of March