Celebrating fifty years since The Beatles released Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, Mark Morris Dance Company presents this fitting tribute to The Beatles' seminal album. The title itself is a reference to the Pepperland sung about on Yellow Submarine, an underwater land protected by the Lonely Hearts Club Band where music is revered above all, and this performance certainly gives the impression of such a land.
A witty and engaging opening really set the scene by introducing characters from the cover of the album, and although I was disappointed that these characters didn’t seem to have much of an effect on the rest of the performance, it was a nice display of the cast and a good teaser for what was to come.
The music is not a simple replaying of the album, but did include renditions of some songs from it such as 'With A Little Help From My Friends', 'When I’m Sixty Four' and 'Within You Without You' and, of course, the title track, bookending the performance in a similar way to the album. There is also a rendition of 'Penny Lane' which was originally intended to be on Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band before being released early as a single and therefore not making it onto the album, but it provides one of the highlights of the performance and helps ground the show in Liverpool, where it premiered.
The rest of the music was inspired by the album and it's themes, and gives a good sense of the Sgt. Pepper era. With compositions ranging through a variety of tempos and styles, from adagio to allegro, from discordant psychedelic to up-beat blues, there’s always something to pique the interest and keep the whole performance feeling fresh.
The set is bold, undistracting and simple, with a solid background changing colour, sometimes to suit mood and other times just for a change. At the very back is a simple set-dressing that seems to come from another world, and gives a good impression of the fictional underwater Pepperland in The Beatles' songs. The costumes with their crisp, bold colours and simple designs of suits, miniskirts and chequered coats are a delight to look at, giving a clear sense of British style in the sixties, while not being too overwhelming or stealing the focus.
The dancing itself was a delight to watch. The performance moves seamlessly between solo performances and large, set pieces where the choreography gives a distinct, psychedelic impression. At some points there was so much going on on-stage, it was difficult to know where to look – a veritable feast for the eyes.
The variety of styles of dancing is something to behold in itself – at some points highly skilled, flawless modern dance solos made me appreciate the highly talented individuals that were on stage while at other times an array of dancers show you what powerful psychedelic imagery Mark Morris’ choreography can conjure. At certain points, seeing such an array of performers go from a highly coordinated routine into much more chaotic, discordant and volatile individual routines only to slip seamlessly back into a synchronised set piece is a very enjoyable thing to behold.
After going on a musical journey, the piece finished off with a final rendition of the titular song from Sgt. Pepper, performed with a Big Band feel at a crescendo, bringing the journey to a satisfying close after an hour that felt far too short.
Seeing such a timely, lively and charming performance really brought the up-beat and sometimes strange world of The Beatles' album to life for me. It may have been fifty years since Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band was released, but this fresh take will make sure you really will have enjoyed the show.
Reviewer - John Graham
on - 29/3/19
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