NEW YORK - The mystique that surrounds the life and death of legendary ex-Beatle John Lennon is as alive in the 21st century as it was in the decades gone by. 'Lennon', the musical that opened in Broadway this weekend is far removed from the one that was shown in San Francisco.
There was a feeling then that John Lennon had been cast as an icon and far too much importance was given to his love affair and subsequent marriage to Yoko Ono. Disappointed with the response that time around; theater, film, and television director Don Scardino has delivered a much more polished product this time. And though fans might not quite be thrilled about it, they would admit that what is being shown is more or less how things were.
This has not stopped reviewers from casting Yoko Ono in a vampish mould, though there is no
apparent reason to do so, the New York Post was pretty scathing in its report about the production, "The widow Lennon is up to her old tricks, undermining last-ditch efforts to save the seriously flawed bio musical about her late husband at every turn," the paper said. The director himself was more understanding, "It's tough; John Lennon is a huge icon now ... everybody has their own expectation of how to present the story of John Lennon. People hated him for leaving the Beatles or for falling in love with Yoko ... they wanted him to be a Beatle and he fought that all his life," Scardino observed.
The original show had nine actors from both the genders assaying Lennon through his Liverpudian antecedents to his tragic death in Central Park, New York. The plot was a bit hackneyed and no wonder people got stumped by the show. This time around, Scardino has brought in a main "Lennon" character, who narrates the story of his life. Lennon's friendship with Paul McCartney and the subsequent adventures of the fab four has also been given prominence in this version. Besides, John's first wife Cynthia is visible for the first time. The central theme however, revolves around Ono and Lennon, much to the resentment of Lennon fans who distrust Ono. Though the presentation by the actors is competent enough, the musical fails to capture the viewers’ imagination in that there is little mention about Lennon's substance abuse or his womanizing ways.
Perhaps the makers felt that including these facts would make Lennon less of a man than he was. One cannot help feeling that this is where they have erred. For the aura that surrounds Lennon is more intense because of these very human episodes in his life. The highlight of the show is undoubtedly the film clip that has Lennon crooning "Imagine."
Other than this, there is little to rave about.
