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Beatles’
Tribute ‘Rain’ returns to
The Fabulous Fox; Our interview with
‘George’
By Daniel Hines
Publisher, TodaysSeniorsNetwork.com
The Beatles--they’ve been gone as a group for 22 years, but
the music they made not only lingers, but
remains as fresh and exciting as it was when
they first heard it for a generation of
aging fans, but also for a new generation
discovering the Beatles’ magic that captivated the world.
For those who never got the chance to see a
live Beatles’ show, or for those who want to
see what all the excitement was about, The
Fabulous Fox Theater in St. Louis offers a
chance to come as close as is probably
humanly possible when ‘Rain, A Tribute to
the Beatles’ takes the stage Feb. 4-5.
The secret to the success of the show—“It’s
a celebration,” explains George Harrison, ,
who is portrayed by Joe Bithorn, who bears
an uncanny, almost eerie resemblance to
George, described by many as ‘The Quiet
Beatle.’
We talked with Joe during a break on the
road for the highly popular show. Our
first question: Why was George called ‘The
Quiet Beatle’?
“George was an extremely talented musician
and writer,” Joe says. “But try to
imagine what it must have been like to have
been a part of group that also included Paul
McCartney and John Lennon. It must
have been almost overwhelming.”
At the same time, while Joe and the
remainder of the performers portraying the
Fab Four realize the genius of each of the
performers, they also realize the chemistry
that made what Joe describes as true
classical music.
“They were able to take music of the era to
new stages of development,” he reflects.
He even goes so far as to compare the
musical contribution of The Beatles to that
of traditional historic classical artists
such as Mozart and Beethoven.
Joe offered an example of the excitement he
feels about coming again to The Fabulous Fox
stage:
“It’s amazing to step on that stage and
think that such a legend as Chuck Berry
celebrated his 60th Birthday
there with all those great performers (the
tribute was directed by Rolling Stones
guitarist Keith Richard).
Joe said one of his regrets is that the
schedule while in St. Louis will prevent him
from seeing a Berry performance. And,
he was a bit surprised when we told him that
George Harrison’s sister in nearby Benton,
IL has a B&B dedicated to George’s memory,
complete with memorabilia,
As to being thoroughly trained professional
musicians, Joe’s modesty might prevent him
from mentioning it, but he and the other
performers are outstanding musicians.
Joe, for example, plays a number of
classical guitars throughout the show, as it
covers each era of the Beatles, offering us
an opportunity to travel through time from
the launching to the end of the group. It’s
a part of a musical heritage that comes from
early exposure through his parents while
growing up in NY, but it is a talent that he
has perfected over the years.
Tribute shows are a risky business.
They face the challenge of accurately
portraying the mood of the performers that
are the subject of the tribute, while
opening themselves up to criticism of ‘not
being as good as the original,’ or simply
‘imitators’.
For some, that might present a challenge as
a performer. How does one resist
losing his identity and morphing into George
Harrison, we asked, illustrating the ease
with which it is done by countless Elvis
impersonators.
That isn’t the case with ‘Rain’, so how has
the show avoided becoming a cliché?
“We recognize that we are performers, not
the original artists,” Joe explains.
“We try to bring out understanding of the
phrasing and style of the artist we portray
to each performance. And, we always work to
portray the role with a sense of
excitement.”
It’s also a visual spectacular, complete
with costumes that faithfully replicate each
era.
Why does the show remain so popular?
Joe points to the quality of the music
itself, but also to the fact that for those
who were around when The Beatles were still
a group, it is a chance to relive a
relatively happy time. For younger people,
it offers a chance to experience the
freshness, excitement and especially the fun
of The Beatles.
“And that’s the key,” he sums up.
“Music is joyous, and you just have to be
happy to be able to play and sing.
That’s what we work to bring to each
performance.”
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