Photo Credits Dylan Weller
Once upon a Broadway stage “Beatlemania” was a musical with four lookalikes fronting a multimedia backdrop. It played for years in New York and toured North America but issues ensued which led to that show’s demise.
Decades later, we have “ONES.”
An immersive plunge into that pre-Internet era of vinyl, newspapers, A.M. radio and word-of- mouth excitement, ONES celebrates the Fab Four’s songs which reached Number One on the North American radio hit parade.
November 2000 saw the CD release of ‘One,’ a compilation of Beatles’ chart toppers. With its trademarked yellow ‘ONE’ printed on a red background cover it sold over 30 million copies worldwide.
The New Millenium solidified the Beatles longevity.
Producer Frank Zirone recognized the yearning for an all-in-one stage production. Zirone, a veteran Canadian musician, felt so inspired by ‘One’ that he created an entire show around its concept.
The result is a time-travelling experience for audiences seeking not only those chart-topping tunes but also a visual narrative. Archival footage, photos and original artwork are projected throughout the venue while commentary from a radio announcer provides context and details certain to enlighten even the most ardent Beatlemaniac
In the span of two-and-a-half hours audiences journey on a magical, mystical adventure.
For many it will be a return to their bright and/or hazy teenage period. For others, born long after that inaugural 1964 Ed Sullivan TV show appearance, ONES channels the 60’s energy in a way they will comprehend, somewhat, whenever their parents or grandparents keep yakking about ‘those great times back then.’
Watch and experience ONES on YouTube here:
Last fall I ventured into Roy Thomson Hall, the home of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. As a certified Boomer my early appreciation for classical music was sparked in part hearing The Beatles addition of orchestral arrangements on tracks such as “Eleanor Rigby” “Penny Lane” “The Long and Winding Road” and “Let It Be.”
Thus, a semi-formal evening attending recitals of Beethoven, Bach or Mozart to me is familiar and comfortable. In my experience the majority of patrons attending such symphony performances are those aged 45 and up.
Attire being the only difference, this evening is it was hip, edgy, leather, casual, with rock-themed t- shirts. More in keeping with a weekend at the cottage than a night at the opera.
And the young‘uns: teens, tweens, and twenties, more than at a subscription symphony concert. No doubt some attending at the insistence – or willingly – of elders for a family night out. A non-threatening environment where music celebrated peace, love, fun, caring and joy.
Onstage a core group of seven musicians played in score and sound those familiar Beatle instruments – the Hofner bass, the black and white Rickenbacker, the semi-hollow Chet Atkins Gretsch, Ludwig drums, Vox amplifiers. Keyboards bookended each side of the stage.
ONES presents a terrific opportunity to see just how those early Beatle hits were delivered in the studio. The interplay between rhythm guitar and lead breaks, with bass guitar and drum fills; it all comes alive here to re-experience with new eyes those well-acquainted songs.
A ONES concert performance truly excels in the second act. With its full assembly of a choralgroup and music director on stage right, a string section and brass quartet fills out the left side as the show soars to its climax.
Many Beatles fans still debate the band’s greatest music in an Early vs Later period: “She Loves You” vs “Come Together;” “I Feel Fine” vs “Something”.
Over the course of an evening, someone will find something new here. That someone might be you: yourself at this age now, not that you from years ago or even the one who entered the concert hall earlier.
What everyone is certain to realize is that ONES presents a renewed enthusiasm for music’s transcendent power.
Today as The Beatles legacy enters a seventh decade, Frank Zirone and his assembly of gifted artists revives the unifying spirit of those Number One hits that endure as Top of the Pops.
“…and I Feel Fine!”
Editor’s Note:
Godfrey Jordan is a documentary filmmaker, author and former classic rock photographer. His work has appeared in The Toronto Star, The Globe & Mail, and The Toronto Sun. During the Summer of ’69 he attended the original Woodstock, the Toronto Pop Fest, and the historic Rock’n’Roll Revival where backstage he photographed John & Yoko. www.GodfreyJordan.com
For more on ONES and upcoming shows visit: onesshow.com/tour
