For Chris Frazer, playing the iconic John Lennon is the answer to a lifelong fascination.
“I don’t know anyone who discovers the Beatles and picks up a guitar and doesn’t wonder what it was like having the experience the Beatles did,” he said. “They were trailblazers and met the world in a time that will never be repeated; they made amazing music and affected people in a very special way.”
Frazer has been stepping into the shoes of Lennon for about four years now for the musical theatre show Beatlemania On Tour – The Beatles Experience, a show that’s toured the world and will make a stop at the Thunder Bay Community Auditorium Sept. 17.
Filling out the Fab Four roster for the Showtime Management Australia production is Scott MacFarlane as Paul McCartney, Paul Green as George Harrison and Michael Brady as Ringo Starr.
“I can’t remember a day on this planet I wasn’t aware of the Beatles,” said Frazer. “I remember singing Beatles songs back in pre-school.”
As a “massive fan,” stepping onto the stage as the legendary rock and rollers and seeing the world through their eyes is the ultimate thing a fan can do to pay homage to the group, Frazer said.
Beatlemania On Tour takes the audience through the history of the band from playing clubs in Hamburg, Germany’s red light district in 1961 to their appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1964 to their more studio-based looks and sounds. Each performance is recreated using exact replicas of costumes, instruments and amplifiers.
Frazer said a lot of time and research has gone into making the show feel authentic and they tour with about 15 guitars and go through seven costume changes.
The show has been around for about four years and it’s grown exponentially over time; Beatlemania has hit cities from Cape Town to Melbourne to Singapore and Tokyo.
Before each show, Frazer and his three costars begin getting into character by using their Liverpool accents while setting up the stage and doing sound checks. Once the costumes are on and instruments in hand, the rest comes naturally.
“Standing behind a curtain and hearing a crowd already cheering before they even see us – it’s a wonderful way to put you in character,” Frazer said.
And after doing the show for a few years now, it comes like muscle memory for the group.
“There’s a confidence between us that even when things go wrong, we’ve just got this way of dealing with it … we’ll just bounce through it and laugh at it the same way the Beatles would,” Frazer said.
The audience is also encouraged to participate by wearing 1960s style clothes. Frazer said they want to see the audience get out of their seats, scream, sing and dance just like the original days of Beatlemania.
“I love to see the Beatles fans in their 1960s garb,” he said. “I like to tell people to get ready to have an absolute ball.”
“I don’t know anyone who discovers the Beatles and picks up a guitar and doesn’t wonder what it was like having the experience the Beatles did,” he said. “They were trailblazers and met the world in a time that will never be repeated; they made amazing music and affected people in a very special way.”
Frazer has been stepping into the shoes of Lennon for about four years now for the musical theatre show Beatlemania On Tour – The Beatles Experience, a show that’s toured the world and will make a stop at the Thunder Bay Community Auditorium Sept. 17.
Filling out the Fab Four roster for the Showtime Management Australia production is Scott MacFarlane as Paul McCartney, Paul Green as George Harrison and Michael Brady as Ringo Starr.
“I can’t remember a day on this planet I wasn’t aware of the Beatles,” said Frazer. “I remember singing Beatles songs back in pre-school.”
As a “massive fan,” stepping onto the stage as the legendary rock and rollers and seeing the world through their eyes is the ultimate thing a fan can do to pay homage to the group, Frazer said.
Beatlemania On Tour takes the audience through the history of the band from playing clubs in Hamburg, Germany’s red light district in 1961 to their appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1964 to their more studio-based looks and sounds. Each performance is recreated using exact replicas of costumes, instruments and amplifiers.
Frazer said a lot of time and research has gone into making the show feel authentic and they tour with about 15 guitars and go through seven costume changes.
The show has been around for about four years and it’s grown exponentially over time; Beatlemania has hit cities from Cape Town to Melbourne to Singapore and Tokyo.
Before each show, Frazer and his three costars begin getting into character by using their Liverpool accents while setting up the stage and doing sound checks. Once the costumes are on and instruments in hand, the rest comes naturally.
“Standing behind a curtain and hearing a crowd already cheering before they even see us – it’s a wonderful way to put you in character,” Frazer said.
And after doing the show for a few years now, it comes like muscle memory for the group.
“There’s a confidence between us that even when things go wrong, we’ve just got this way of dealing with it … we’ll just bounce through it and laugh at it the same way the Beatles would,” Frazer said.
The audience is also encouraged to participate by wearing 1960s style clothes. Frazer said they want to see the audience get out of their seats, scream, sing and dance just like the original days of Beatlemania.
“I love to see the Beatles fans in their 1960s garb,” he said. “I like to tell people to get ready to have an absolute ball.”
