This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations .(April 2009) |
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band on the Road | |
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Music | John Lennon Paul McCartney George Harrison Ringo Starr |
Book | Robin Wagner Tom O'Horgan |
Productions | 1974 Beacon Theatre |
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band on the Road was a 1974 off-Broadway production directed by Tom O'Horgan. [1] It opened at the Beacon Theatre in New York on November 17, 1974 and ran for a total of 66 performances. [2]
The plot tells of a Candide-like rock music singer, Billy Shears, who marries Strawberry Fields. Billy loses her to death, and his own integrity to Maxwell's Silver Hammermen, Jack, Sledge and Claw, dressed in chain mail and representing the Hells Angels of the commercial music business. Billy's bête noire is a temptress named Lucy. [3]
Among the original cast were Ted Neeley as Billy Shears and Alaina Reed as Lucy. David Patrick Kelly played Sgt. Pepper.
The musical would later be loosely adapted into the Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band film.
John Lennon attended several rehearsals and the Opening Night performance with May Pang. It was caught on film in the original promo video for "Whatever Gets You Through the Night". Lennon can also be seen pointing to a New York theater as well as a poster for the film inside the theater in a comedic fashion for the music video for "Mind Games".
Produced by Robert Stigwood, in association with Brian Avnet and Scarab Productions, Inc.
Executive Producer, Peter Brown
Associate Producers: Gatchell and Neufeld, Steven Singer, Steven Metz and Howard Dando
Music and Lyrics by John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr
Directed by Tom O’Horgan
Scenic Design by Robin Wagner
Lighting Design by Jules Fisher
Costume Design by Randy Barceló
Sound Design by Abe Jacob
Music Arranged and conducted by Gordon Lowry Harrell
Production Supervisor: Richard Scanga
Opening Night Cast:
Ted Neeley - Billy Shears
Allan Nicholls - Jack Hammer
Kay Cole - Strawberry fields
B.G. Gibson - Claw Hammer
William Parry - Sledge Hammer
Alaina Reed - Lucy
Hammeroids:
Understudies:
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band is the eighth studio album by the English rock band the Beatles. Released on 26 May 1967, Sgt. Pepper is regarded by musicologists as an early concept album that advanced the roles of sound composition, extended form, psychedelic imagery, record sleeves, and the producer in popular music. The album had an immediate cross-generational impact and was associated with numerous touchstones of the era's youth culture, such as fashion, drugs, mysticism, and a sense of optimism and empowerment. Critics lauded the album for its innovations in songwriting, production and graphic design, for bridging a cultural divide between popular music and high art, and for reflecting the interests of contemporary youth and the counterculture.
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"Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles, written by Paul McCartney, credited to Lennon–McCartney, and released in 1967 on the album of the same name. The song appears twice on the album: as the opening track, and as "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)", the penultimate track. As the title song, the lyrics introduce the fictional band that performs on the album.
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"Good Morning Good Morning" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles from their 1967 album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. It was written by John Lennon and credited to Lennon–McCartney. Inspiration for the song came to Lennon from a television commercial for Kellogg's Corn Flakes. Another reference to contemporary television was the lyric "It's time for tea and Meet the Wife", referring to the BBC sitcom.
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