On February 9, 1964 The Ed Sullivan Show earned the largest audience in its twenty-three year run when the world’s latest rock and roll sensation made their television debut. 73 million viewers tuned in to see The Beatles’ first televised appearance. John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr were graciously ushered into American culture, thus solidifying their place in music history.
With a range of styles and sounds encompassed in their eight years of famed musicianship, The Beatles challenged the norm, served as commentators of current events, and caused their fair share of controversy.
Let It Be: A Celebration of the Music of The Beatles, features songs we all know and love such as: “I Want To Hold Your Hand,” “Yesterday,” “In My Life,” “Hey Jude,” and of course, “Let It Be”. The heart of these pieces, amongst others, are brought to the forefront when applied to a story about the struggles of two families surviving 1960s America. Civil unrest, political corruption, and the devastation caused by the Military Draft all contributed to rising tensions and a society on the verge of collapse. Perhaps unsurprisingly, our musical could be set in 2022 just as easily as it is set in 1960, drawing several parallels decades apart.
Does this make the words of the “Fab Four” timeless? Or does it raise concern for the future? Our show invites us into a world of chaos in which we are given the choice to raise our voice, or simply say “let it be.”
Through the lens of The Beatles’ commentary, we are reminded of the dangers that come along with navigating unfamiliar territory. Over the last two years, the absence of things we take for granted hurt the most when they were suddenly taken away from us. What we so desperately needed at times felt the farthest away. For many of us on stage, the absence of theatre left us longing for the excitement of rehearsals, the glow of the spotlight, the sweep of the curtain, and the audience that makes it all worthwhile.
If there is anything for us to take away from this story it is that: the struggles we face will not last forever; although history repeats itself, we prove ourselves as worthy opponents; tomorrow may rain, so follow the sun.
Jonathan Zalaski
