Award-winning Australian actor and singer John Waters (Offspring, All The Rivers Run, Godspell, Hair) takes to the stage with accompanist Bill Risby (Leo Sayer, The Supremes) to perform Lennon: Through A Glass Onion – part spoken word, part concert – a celebration of one of the most distinctive voices of his generation: John Lennon. The stage show comes to The Civic for six performances from 10 August.
Featuring a catalogue of Lennon’s greatest songs including Woman and Jealous Guy, as well as his collaborations with Paul McCartney including A Day in the Life, Strawberry Fields Forever, Revolution and Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds, this intimate production reveals the essence of the life and times of one of the most admired icons of all time.
The production was conceived and created by Waters with Stewart D’Arrietta and premiered in 1992 at The Tilbury in Woolloomoolo, Sydney. It was an instant hit. In the years that followed, Waters and D’Arrietta booked Sydney Opera House and a three-month engagement in London’s West End. More recently, a refreshed Lennon: Through A Glass Onion returned to Australia following an acclaimed season of 122 performances in New York, The Assembly Hall at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, and a hit season at the Brian Epstein Theatre in Liverpool.
Waters said premiering the show in New York as an emotional experience. “We were overwhelmed, blessed really, to have the support of Yoko Ono and the Lennon Estate.”
“It’s been fantastic the response the show is receiving, especially from the younger audiences that are coming along, some of whom were not even born when Lennon and The Beatles were recording and releasing their music. It’s a testament to the legacy of the man and his music that still excites and intrigues people to this day.”
“The song Glass Onion was John Lennon’s postscript to The Beatles. It had such a strong image of crystal ball-gazing and peeling away the layers that it inspired the format for this show – a kaleidoscope collage of song, word, emotion and image”, says co-creator Stewart D’Arrietta.
This is an emotional trip down memory lane for fans, or a wonderful introduction to the life and times of one of the most fascinating icons of our time.
Auckland Live Presents
Lennon: Through A Glass Onion
10-14 August
Live at The Civic
$69.90-79.90 + fees
Pre-sale from 4 July
Tickets on sale from 6 July via Ticketmaster
For more information, visit aucklandlive.co.nz
With the music and lyrics of
John Lennon
Lennon & McCartney
JOHN WATERS with Bill Risby
