Something About George – The George Harrison Story is a musical tribute to the “quiet Beatle” and the third in Something About Productions’ series of shows about musical icons, Paul Simon and John Lennon being their previous presentations.
The setup sees West End star and Liverpudlian Daniel Taylor as the story’s narrator and lead singer, performing in front of a tremendous band of musicians: Joe Smithson (MD, guitar and vocals), Callum Macmillan (percussion/drums), Tom Kinton (bass guitar and vocals), and James Breckon (keyboard and vocals), who together perform 19 of George’s best-known songs. Taylor isn’t dressed as George, nor does he do an impression of him (aside from speaking in George’s voice when quoting him directly). Instead, he relies on his own talent to faithfully recreate the music.
The show starts with a quick walkthrough of George’s Beatles history, played on a screen behind the band. It ends with the Beatles splitting up in 1970. Credit goes to Jamie Jenkins for the compelling multimedia video design.
From here, the show sets out to answer the question: “Where does life take you after being in the greatest band in the history of the world?” The opening song is ‘The Art of Dying’ from George’s 1970 triple album All Things Must Pass.
Taylor’s narration focuses on the major events in George’s life, from the making of All Things Must Pass to his friendship with Ravi Shankar, relationship with Pattie Boyd, marriage to Olivia, the birth of son Dhani, and his musical renaissance with The Travelling Wilburys. The story is extremely well written, moving at a good pace and keeping the audience engaged from start to finish.
The songs in the first half include ‘All Things Must Pass,’ ‘If Not for You,’ ‘My Sweet Lord,’ and ‘Something,’ to name a few. Each is accompanied by a companion video on the screen behind the band.
The second half kicks off with The Beatles’ ‘Taxman’ and leads into the story of how George became involved with Monty Python and ended up financing their controversial film The Life of Brian.
Tragedy struck in December 1980 with the brutal murder of John Lennon, about which George wrote ‘All Those Years Ago.’ The story then moves forward to 1988 and the formation of the supergroup The Travelling Wilburys with Messrs Dylan, Lynne, Orbison, and Petty. The band performed ‘Handle With Care’ and ‘End of the Line,’much to the delight of the audience, who clearly loved these songs as much as any George had written.
In 1997, George was diagnosed with throat cancer but was able to treat it with radiation and surgery. The narrative then moves to 30 December 1999, when George and his wife Olivia were attacked at their home by a paranoid schizophrenic named Michael Abram. Although George survived, his friends believed the aftermath saw his cancer return. Here, the show reaches its most powerful and poignant moment. Taylor recounts George’s death in hospital, and his wife’s words that when his spirit left his body, the whole room lit up. As Taylor narrates this, the opening chords of ‘Here Comes the Sun’ can be heard. He begins singing softly, accompanied by footage of a sunrise, before building to a powerful crescendo. It becomes clear that the “sun” represents the bright light said to appear as we die, not merely the relief and joy of spring after a long, cold winter.
The show ends with a rousing version of ‘While My Guitar Gently Weeps.’ After a standing ovation, the band returned for an encore of ‘What Is Life.’ Daniel Taylor’s performance authentically captured George Harrison's journey and spirit, not just his musical style, but also his personality and growth.
This was a two-night run only but the show will continue to tour next year, details below.
https://www.ents24.com/uk/tour-dates/something-about-george
Reviewer – Adrian Cork
On – 10.10.2025
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