PROGRAM La Boite & The Little Red Company present LADY BEATLE By Adam Brunes & Naomi Price LA BOITE THEATRE COMPANY PRESENTED BY LA BOITE & THE LITTLE RED COMPANY 25 MAY – 3 JUNE 2017 AT THE ROUNDHOUSE THEATRE CAST PERFORMED BY ................................................................... NAOMI PRICE DRUMS .......................................................................... MIK EASTERMAN BASS GUITAR ............................................................... ANDREW JOHNSON PIANO ......................................................................... MICHAEL MANIKUS GUITARS ....................................................................... JASON MCGREGOR PRODUCTION TEAM CREATORS ................................................. ADAM BRUNES & NAOMI PRICE LIGHTING DESIGNER ..................................................... JASON GLENWRIGHT SOUND DESIGNER/AUDIO ENGINEER ........................................ JAMIE TAYLOR (AUSTRALIAN EVENT PRODUCTIONS) COSTUME DESIGNER ......................................................... LEIGH BUCHANAN VOCAL COACH .................................................................... LUKE KENNEDY CREATIVE CONSULTANT .......................................................... AMY INGRAM LX OPERATOR .......................................................................... TIM GAWNE STAGING ........................................................................... ANDREW MILLS STRINGS PERFORMED BY ................... BRENDAN JOYCE, JOHNNY NG, MICHAEL PATTERSON & NATHAN SMITH FROM THE CAMERATA - QUEENSLAND’S CHAMBER ORCHESTRA STRINGS ARRANGED BY .................................................. ANDREW JOHNSON STRINGS RECORDED, MIXED AND MASTERED BY .................. GEOFF MCGAHAN MUSIC ALL SONGS WRITTEN BY LENNON J/MCCARTNEY P EXCLUDING TWIST AND SHOUT BY RUSSELL B/MEDLEY; YELLOW SUBMARINE BY LENNON J/MCCART- NEY P/HARRISON G; HERE COMES THE SUN BY HARRISON G. SPECIAL THANKS LUKE KENNEDY, KYLE CROPP, PAUL PRICE, DANIEL EVANS, AMY INGRAM, TARA HOBBS, REBECCA HUBBARD (DEXTRESS HAIR) & ADAM TUCKER COVER IMAGE & REHEARSAL PHOTOGRAPHY BY ..................... DYLAN EVANS 2 LA BOITE THEATRE COMPANY PROGRAM LADY BEATLE PROGRAM LADY BEATLE LA BOITE THEATRE COMPANY 3 CREATORS’ NOTES ADAM BRUNES & NAOMI PRICE theme through their work of incredible individual talents the extraordinariness of real who have leant their expertise When we (and terrifying) things about life. The Fab Four’s world is to bring our Lady Beatle to WELCOME TO first began creating new work is that populated with seemingly life. To share this experience THE LONELY discussions about the possibilities are endless. ordinary people - the barber, with our dream-team is Lady Beatle with Throughout the process, banker, fireman and nurse such a gift - thank you to HEARTS CLUB… La Boite’s Artistic we lost count of the number in Penny Lane; the meter our amazing band Andrew, Director Todd of times we thought we’d maid star of Lovely Rita; Jason, Michael and Mik, MacDonald and landed on the idea only to the teenage runaway who and our incredible creative General Manager Katherine find another golden thread inspired She’s Leaving Home team Jamie, Jason and Leigh Hoepper in late 2015, we that unravelled something - ordinary people who have for your unfaltering support were quite cagey about what different entirely. To borrow unknowingly become part of and belief. We know their the show actually was. Truth from John; the more we saw, the Beatles’ incredible legacy. exceptional talents will blow be told, we didn’t really know. the less we knew for sure. There are also a surprising you away. Having started both of our As such, the Lady Beatle number of people both in the Heartfelt thanks also to our previous collaborations in who takes her maiden flight Beatles’ musical and real-life creative colleagues and dear a similar fashion, this was tonight is not necessarily worlds - Julia Lennon, Mary friends Amy Ingram, Daniel familiar ground for us. But the character we originally McCartney, John Lennon, Evans and Tara Hobbs, who it speaks volumes of La dreamt up, nor is she the Eleanor Rigby and Lucy generously leant their time Boite’s respect for our artistic character that might still O’Donnell of Lucy in the Sky and expertise throughout process and their trust in us exist tomorrow. That’s the with Diamonds fame - who all the process. as creators to allow us space wonderful thing about died in their 40s. We became and time to explore, which Lady Beatle is our homage cabaret as a genre: it’s fascinated with the notion we find incredibly humbling. to those whose stories might unbounded, unpredictable, of premature death and Premiering this work with never have been told, to and alive to the moment. unrealised potential, which La Boite is particularly those we might never have unlocked a deeper sadness special for us and marks a In our early research discovered, were it not for in the story we wanted to tell. homecoming of sorts, having for the project, we were four ordinary lads from both started our professional fascinated to learn the real We often say that it takes an Liverpool. stories that inspired the careers here in 2008. army to deliver a one woman - Adam and Naomi Beatles’ immortal catalogue show, and we encourage you One of the most thrilling and noticed a continuing to read on to discover the 4 LA BOITE THEATRE COMPANY PROGRAM LADY BEATLE PROGRAM LADY BEATLE LA BOITE THEATRE COMPANY 5 Proudly supporting Queensland artists since 2003 Whether your market is touring, festivals, corporate or broadcast; AEP has the right people and equipment for the job. AUDIO • LIGHTING • STAGING • DATA www.australianeventproductions.com 6 LA BOITE THEATRE COMPANY PROGRAM LADY BEATLE PROGRAM LADY BEATLE LA BOITE THEATRE COMPANY 7 FIVE MINUTES WITH Of the four band members, who would Mik: Probably Sgt Pepper’s Lonely you say is the biggest Beatles fan? Hearts Club Band. Ringo has a very unique swing to his playing and Jason: It’s Mik for sure. He’s got more THE LONELY HEARTS CLUB BAND it’s really fun to dig into that iconic Beatles biographies and background groove. knowledge than any non-stalker should really have available at their Jason: Come Together… I like mind’s grasp! how the verses feel like bizarre representations of people all totally Andrew: Definitely Mik. different to one another but that Michael: Definitely Mik; he’s a the chorus sees them all unite for walking encyclopaedia when it comes a common purpose. Kind of like a to anything related to the Beatles and band. Kind of like the Beatles. Music their catalogue. is our means of being unified. Mik: I think that would be me. What’s the best thing about working with Naomi? They weren’t afraid Jason: She gets what the gig is! She to push the limits gets that it's about taking people on a journey and giving them an insight wherever possible. and experience as opposed to just singing some tunes. I have great What do you love most about the experimentation. They weren’t afraid What’s your favourite Beatles song to respect for that. play? Beatles? to push the limits wherever possible. Andrew: She’s fearless and funny. New sounds, radical arrangements, Michael: I played a beautiful Jason: Their boldness in the creative : Naomi is charismatic, untried studio techniques; they took arrangement of In My Life on tour Michael process and the dedication they had funny, very quick-witted with different each idea to its limit! years ago playing the same song to capturing the essence of what audiences and has an amazing voice. they were trying to convey in music. Andrew: The sheer volume of hits. almost 200 nights a year and some I once sat in a lecture at uni that of the lyrics got me every time… Mik: She’s very passionate and Michael: They have an incredibly dynamic. This is great for me because consisted solely of listening to every “There are places I remember all diverse catalogue. From the 60s they I feed off that energy. It’s a great individual take of Strawberry Fields my life, though some have changed. revolutionised recording techniques ensemble to play in; all these guys are that the Beatles recorded… It was Some forever, not for better, some from the 4-track recording which masters of their instruments so every an incredible journey. have gone and some remain.” saw the innovative processes of multi night we play is a treat! Mik: First and foremost it’s the layering instruments. They would later Andrew: Blackbird. A great songs. Without great songs nothing extend these techniques to use the combination of lyric, melody else matters, but I love their 8-track machine. and harmony. 8 LA BOITE THEATRE COMPANY PROGRAM LADY BEATLE PROGRAM LADY BEATLE LA BOITE THEATRE COMPANY 9 IT WAS 50 YEARS AGO TODAY… In a strange twist of fate, the and ‘legitimate art’, Sgt. Pepper’s world premiere of Lady Beatle includes several of the Beatles’ on 26 May shares a rather most loved songs including Lucy extraordinary historic birthday… in the Sky With Diamonds, With a There are few albums in rock Little Help From My Friends, and and roll history as sacred and as of course the inimitable title track. legendary as the Beatles’ eighth To date, Sgt Pepper’s remains studio record, Sgt. Pepper’s the best-selling studio album by Lonely Hearts Club Band, which the best-selling band of all time, celebrates its 50th anniversary with sales estimated in excess this month. of 32 million. In Britain, it’s the Released on 26 May 1967, Sgt. best-selling studio album by any Pepper’s was an immediate artist and