The very colorful "Sgt. Pepper" era.
The “Liverpool Legends,” in Branson, Missouri, is a recreation of one of the most legendary music groups ever, the rock band simply called “The Beatles.” It is over two hours of wonderful music, history, nostalgia for some and fun and excitement for all.
Very few, if any musical groups, let alone a foreign group from England, have ever impacted the American music scene as quickly or completely as The Beatles. Their first appearance on American television on the Ed Sullivan show on Sunday, February 14, 1964 launched not only their first American tour, but accelerated their meteoric journey to legendary iconic status and some say, “Changing the face of music forever.”
The Liverpool Legends recreates that journey covering the entire career of The Beatles from their initial founding and development to the solo years when they split up and went their separate ways. There are three key factors that make this journey a wonderful and unique Branson experience.
The first is its attention to detail and its lively, entertaining and exciting method of presentation. Under the tutelage and guidance of Louise Harrison, the sister of original Beatle George Harrison, every detail from the shows music and the casts mannerisms and performance to costumes, vintage instruments and special effects are as close to a performance of the original Beatles as one is ever likely to see.
The audience on their feet and in the aisles to help with the "Met's Shea Stadium" concert.
As talented as they are, Liverpool Legends, is not just four musicians standing on the stage playing Beatle hits one after the other. Oh the music is great and we’ll get to that in a moment. It is how that music is presented, combined with great special effects and the ability of the cast to relate to the audience that contributes immeasurably to the total enjoyment of the show by the audience.
From the preshow to the end, the video presentations on large screens are filled with authentic videos of The Beatles and integrated into the presentation to create an atmosphere of “actual participation” on the part of the audience. It’s not just the authenticity of the videos and the history they represent, but the artful and precise way they are worked into and combined with the music and other special effects that makes this show so exciting and get the audience involved.
The total effect of the videos, the shows sets and the ability of the musicians to relate to their audience and get them vested in the show creates an amazing entertainment experience. From the introduction of The Beatles on the Ed Sullivan show with a “live” guest appearance of Ed Sullivan himself, played by Neil Scott, to actually having the audience dancing in the aisles, Liverpool Legends is a show full of action, music, fun and entertainment
The second major element of the show’s success is its musicians who do an outstanding job of recreating the actual Beatles. That portrayal is presented by Kevin Mantegna as Paul Lennon. Greg George as Ringo, Marty Scott as George Harrison and Bob Beahon as Paul McCartney. Luise Harrison said that the group provides, “The very best portrayal of The Beatles since the only four guys to play The Beatles were John, Paul, George and Ringo!,” The performing cast is rounded out by the addition, Bob Dobro, the symphonic arranger, background producer and keyboardist for the show who creates live on stage, the special sound effects that, in the era of The Beatles, could only be done in a studio environment.
From beginning to end this group of musicians did an amazing and wonderful job of recreating Beatle hit after hit with such songs as “Yesterday,” “Twist and Shout,” “Puppy Love,” “Yellow Submarine,” “Hello Goodbye,” “Here Comes The Sun,” “Hey Jude” and many more. When combined with the special effects, costuming, sets and their ability to relate to the audience the result is an exceptional, exciting and unique entertainment experience that the audience literally becomes a part of.
The third major element of the show is the participation of Louise Harrison. Her participation goes far beyond just making sure that everything from music arrangements, costuming and the mannerisms of the performers provides the best Beatles recreation possible. In addition, at many shows, including the one this writer enjoyed, she comes out and takes questions from the audience. Her personality, vision, and desire add a special authentic and personal heartbeat to the Liverpool Legends that helps make it the outstanding entertainment experience it is.
Tammy Johnson, the Director of Operations for the Branson Tourism Center, one of Branson’s largest and most respected vacation planning services and seller of more than two million tickets to Branson shows and attractions, said, “The Liverpool Legends is one of our most popular shows and consistently receives great customer reviews.” For additional information or tickets for the Liverpool Legends or any of Branson’s other shows and attractions or for lodging arrangements please contact the Branson Tourism Center by either calling their toll free number 1-800-785-1550 or through their website www.BransonTourismCenter.com.
