John, Paul, George, Ringo ... and Bert facts for kids

John, Paul, George, Ringo … and Bert is a musical from 1974. It was written by Willy Russell. The musical tells the story of the Beatles, a very famous music band.

The show first opened at the Everyman Theatre in Liverpool in May 1974. It was very popular and played for eight weeks. Later, in August 1974, it moved to the Lyric Theatre in London. There, it ran for a whole year! The musical was even named "Best Musical of 1974" by important awards like the Evening Standard Theatre Awards. The music of the Beatles was performed live by Barbara Dickson in the show.

The musical also traveled to Ireland in 1977 and to the United States in 1985.

Behind the Scenes: The Creative Team

A lot of talented people worked together to create this musical. Here are some of them:

• Directed by Alan Dossor
• Design by Graham Barkmerth
• Lighting by Mick Hughes
• Sound by David Collison
• Movement Consultant: Rufus Collings

Who Played Whom: Original London Cast

Many actors brought the characters to life on stage. Here are some of the main actors and the roles they played:

• Bert : George Costigan
• John Lennon : Bernard Hill
• Paul McCartney : Trevor Eve
• George Harrison : Philip Joseph
• Ringo Starr : Anthony Sher
• Brian Epstein, First Beatles Manager : Robin Hooper
• Singer and pianist : Barbara Dickson
• Musicians : Robert Ash, Terry Canning

The Music: Original Cast Album

An "Original Cast Recording" album was released by RSO Records. This type of album lets you hear the songs from the musical, often sung by the actors who performed them on stage.

Side One Songs

• "I Should Have Known Better" (sung by Barbara Dickson)
• "Your Mother Should Know" (sung by Barbara Dickson)
• "Ooee Boppa" (sung by Tiny Tina & The Titular 3)
• "With a Little Help from My Friends" (sung by Barbara Dickson)
• "Penny Lane" (sung by Barbara Dickson)
• "In the Bleak Midwinter" (sung by Barbara Dickson)
• "Here Comes The Sun" (sung by Barbara Dickson)
• "Long and Winding Road" (sung by Barbara Dickson)

Side Two Songs

• "Clap and Cheer" (sung by The Cast)
• "Help" (sung by Barbara Dickson)
• "Lucy in the Sky" (sung by Barbara Dickson)
• "You Never Give Me Your Money"/"Carry That Weight" (sung by Barbara Dickson)
• "We Can Work It Out" (sung by Barbara Dickson)
• "I Will Be Your Love" (sung by Leroy Lover - Bert)
• "A Day in the Life" (sung by Barbara Dickson)

Album Credits

• Produced by Ian Samwell
• Keyboards and Vocals : Barbara Dickson
• Fender Bass : Pete Zorn
• Drums and Percussion : Dave Mattacks
• Guitar : Kevin Peek
• Additional Vocals : Gerry Rafferty and Joe Egan
• Horns and Woodwinds arranged by Jimmy Horowitz and Ian Samwell
• Engineer : Dennis Weinreich

How The Beatles Reacted

Some members of The Beatles had strong feelings about the musical.

George Harrison saw the play and did not like it. He left the London premiere early. He also asked for his song "Here Comes the Sun" to be removed from the show. It was then replaced with another song called "Good Day Sunshine".

After a part of the play was shown on BBC television, Paul McCartney also shared his thoughts. He felt the play made him look bad and favored John Lennon. He did not agree with the idea that he was responsible for The Beatles breaking up. Because of his concerns, a plan to make the musical into a movie was stopped.