Backbeat

Backbeat

In 1994 audiences witnessed a movie from director Iain Softley that looked at a period in the history of the Beatles and left a considerable impression. Fast forward 16 years and this movie was adapted to the stage and premiered in Glasgow, with a West End version now set to hit the Duke of York’s Theatre in 2011. The production goes by the name “Backbeat” and has been put together by Softley and Stephen Jeffreys and if it is successful enough it will stand up alongside other jukebox musicals like “We Will Rock You” as a high profile West End show.

“Backbeat” was put together by Softley on the back of interviews between Softley and both Astrid Kirchher and Klaus Voorman in the late 1980s. Kirchher was the girlfriend of the original bassist of The Beatles Stuart Sutcliffe and one of the issues that “Backbeat” explores is the relationship between the two and with John Lennon in the early days of the band.  Meanwhile, the music is not from the music but is instead made up of various rock ‘n’ roll hits like “Twist and Shout” and “Long Tall Sally”.

Iain Softley is an English director who has been behind a wealth of movies over the years, with “Backbeat” marking his big screen debut in 1994, following many years of work to bring the project to fruition. Since then he has gone on to direct the likes of “Hackers” in 1995, “K-Pax” with Kevin Spacey in 2001 and, most recently, “Inheart” in 2008. Such productions have found a considerable audience and movies such as “Hackers” are remembered to this day. He began work on the “Backbeat” musical in the late 2000s and it was brought to the stage in 2010 with a world premiere at the Citizen’s Theatre in Glasgow.

And now it comes to the West End’s Duke of York’s Theatre. It is here that audiences will be able to witness what is the latest in a long line of Jukebox musicals to arrive in the capital, following current hits like “Mamma Mia!” and “Jersey Boys” and preceding upcoming productions such as the musical based on the work of the Spice Girls entitled “Viva Forever”.

“Backbeat” is at the Duke of York’s Theatre from Monday 10th October 2011 (with previews beginning in September 2011) until Saturday 24th March 2012.

Venue Information and Directions

Duke of York's
St Martin's Lane
London
WC2N 4BG

Seating Plan

Directions

Directions
Take the Piccadilly or Northern Line to Leicester Square station. Exit onto Charing Cross Road. The theatre is approximately 5 minutes walk.