ROLLING HILLS ESTATES, Calif. (01/05/10)—Beatles tribute musicians, in costume and character, will arrive in a red double decker bus and play a free live concert at Promenade on the Peninsula at 2 pm on January 10th. As a promotion for the nationally touring Beatles musical biography, Ticket to Ride, radio station K-EARTH will begin broadcasting live at noon and will give away tickets. Legendary radio personality Brian Beirne, Mr. Rock N’ Roll®, will be on hand and attendees may play Beatles Rock Band free of charge. The address is 550 Deep Valley Drive in Rolling Hills Estates.
Ticket to Ride is the award winning musical biography of the Beatles as seen through the eyes of their manager Brian Epstein. This family friendly musical
is widely considered by industry insiders to be the most unique Beatles show in decades and is playing at the Warner Grand Theatre in San Pedro, for two nights only, on January 22 and 23. The show is a fundraiser for the San Pedro Boys and Girls Club.
More than just a Beatles tribute concert, Ticket to Ride gives the audience a chance to “be there” at pivotal moments in the extraordinary career of the Beatles: Liverpool’s legendary Cavern Club, The Ed Sullivan Show, Shea Stadium and the final live performance on the rooftop of their Apple Corp offices. With manager Brian Epstein serving as narrator, Ticket to Ride allows the audience to get a glimpse inside the world of the Beatles from their point of view, as well as hear some of the greatest songs ever written.
Since its inception in 1937, the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Los Angeles Harbor has stayed true to its mission to enable all young people, especially those who need us most, to reach their full potential as productive, caring, and responsible citizens. We achieve this through a commitment to quality programs and services in an environment that is safe, nurturing and inspiring.
The Boys and Girls Clubs of the Los Angeles Harbor operates 17 sites in San Pedro and Wilmington which surround Los Angeles Harbor. They have six (6) main Club facilities (San Pedro, Port of Los Angeles, Wilmington and New Dana Strand Boys & Girls Clubs, and the San Pedro and Wilmington Teen Centers). They also provide after school programming on the campuses of ten Los Angeles Unified School District schools and offer sports and recreation programming at the Daniel’s Field Recreation Center.
Mike Lansing, Executive Director of BGCLAH said “we serve over 2,250 children daily, a fifteen-fold increase since 1995 when the average daily attendance was 150." He added, “ last year, we provided programs and services to over 8,200 members and offered over 35 distinct classes/activities, establishing us as the largest private daily service provider to at-risk children in the entire Los Angeles Harbor/South Bay area.”
Four Beatles tribute musicians and actors were cast to portray the Fab Four in the musical. With their tight harmonies, flawless renditions, custom–tailored costumes, vintage instruments, Liverpudlian dialect and precise attention to detail, they recreate the magic of the Beatles, including the Fab Four’s cheeky personalities and familiar onstage banter.
With a script written by P.M. Howard, who played “George” in the original Broadway Beatlemania production, Ticket to Ride takes the audience back to February 1964 when America watched the Beatles for the first time on The Ed Sullivan Show, playing “I Want To Hold Your Hand.” Progressing through their various musical stages, the audience re-experiences the psychedelic era of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, the creation of the haunting “Yesterday” and the raucous rock and roll of “Revolution.”
The show premiered to sold-out audiences in April 2009 and a number of nights were added to keep up with demand. In addition to rave reviews from The Los Angeles Times, Backstage West, San Gabriel Valley News, Pasadena Star-News and Whittier Daily News, the show also earned a prestigious Roar of the Crowd award and was rated higher by online audiences than any other stage production in Southern California during the week of April 26, 2009.
The Warner Grand show will raise funds for the San Pedro Boys and Girls Club. The club’s mission is to enable children, particularly those in need, to reach their potential as caring, productive and responsible citizens. The center provides access to a computer lab, arts and music programs, a reading center, athletics, and a leadership program.
The production also partnered with the North Torrance Youth Symphony Orchestra, which will appear on stage during the song “Yesterday.” This will be the first professional performance for the high school students making up the string quartet.
The four musician/actors cast to play John, Paul, George and Ringo were selected from over 100 Beatle tribute musicians, most of whom showed up for auditions in costume and in character. The band features Benny Chadwick ("Paul"), Tyson Kelly ("John"), Robert Bielma ("George") and Axel Clarke ("Ringo"). The band is managed by Tom Maher who worked as the promotions director of radio station KNAC in 1973, when he was hired to manage Guns N' Roses. He continued as a member of the band's management until they broke up, but continued to manage guitarist Slash and Zack Wylde, as well as the legendary Leon Russell. Maher presently represents a diverse roster of clients including Motorhead, Zebrahead, jazz guitarist John Jorgensen and teen pop star Jeremy Ashida.
A singer/guitarist/bandleader, as well as an actor with an eclectic career in the theatre, the play’s writer and director, P.M. Howard, has enjoyed singing and playing everything from Sinatra standards to honky tonk country shuffles. He has acted in plays as diverse as Laguna Playhouse's award winning production of The Last Session to the Stratford Festival's production of The Collected Works of Billy the Kid by Michael Ondaatje (The English Patient). Howard has made Orange County his home for the past 20 years. "I've been a Beatle fan all my life and getting to be my favorite Beatle for two years and play that great music every night was something I will be eternally grateful for," said Howard of his experience in Beatlemania. "There have been so many different Beatle band concert shows over the years, but in Ticket to Ride, we get a chance to see the Beatles, up close and personal, and hopefully gain a deeper insight into who they really were," said Howard. Along with Howard, retired trial lawyer turned musical producer Andy Nagle rounds out the production team.
