Come Together, written by and starring Tom Connor and Mark Newnham, is a celebration of the music and talents of John Lennon and Paul McCartney of The Beatles fame.
The Lennon and McCartney songbook
is commemorated with hits mainly from the 1960’s in the first half with the
rest of The Beatles repertoire, 1970’s onwards, in the second half
Tom Connor (Paul McCartney) and
Mark Newnham (John Lennon) provide a walk down memory lane for fans of The
Beatles celebrating the writing talents of McCartney and Lennon with four
talented backing musicians under the guidance of Musical Director Howard Gray.
The band members deserve a special round of applause as they are the cherry on
top of the cake; Mike Woodvine (guitar), Greg Joy (drums), Adam Keast (bass)
and Ben Gladwin (keys) all deserve a special mention for their faultless
musical capability and assured stage presence; they make for an impressively
tight combo.
The music is interspersed with chat
from the two vocalists telling the story of the rise to fame of the Fab Four, highlighting
the chemistry between the two performers. The background stories behind each of the songs
is uncovered before renditions of the songs, with a few laughs and comedic banter
in-between.
The set is constant throughout with
all of the instruments on stage portraying a combination of the film studios
where the Get Back sessions were filmed to the final iconic Apple rooftop
concert performance, with girlfriends coats et al. The duo are dressed casually
in T shirts and waistcoats with no costume changes or special effects, the
music being the star of the show.
Backdrop video projections help
to set the scene and announce different chapters in the lives of the famous duo
quoting revered lyrics from some of their songs and showing Liverpool
landmarks. The videos help to skilfully submerge the audience into each moment
in time, with the sounds of screams in a stadium growing louder to emphasise
the height of Beatlemania that Lennon and McCartney, alongside George Harrison
and Ringo Starr experienced and led to them publicly state that they couldn’t
hear what they were playing and could have been playing anything and nobody
would have known, thus leading to their decision to stop touring.
Connor’s portrayal of McCartney
hits the mark superbly whilst Newnham’s depiction of Lennon took a little more
convincing, that said, both performers’ musical competence and range is flawless.
The musical arrangements are tight and the chemistry between the leading duo
and the other four musicians is perfect, the audience were captivated from
start to finish. Connor and Newnham have created a sardonic script, interspersed
with wit and banter and to which Connor brings McCartney’s cheery optimism
while Newnham clearly relishes giving voice to Lennon’s dry wit and cynical persona.
The audience were able to lose
themselves in personal memories whilst appreciating the music and goosebumps
must have been experienced by many as powerful classics such as 'A Day In The
Life' and 'Hey Jude' were performed.
The atmosphere is very intimate, and
the show is a tribute to two exceptional songwriters; fans from the older
generation will enjoy being taken back in time by Beatles music prompting
particular memories; for the younger generation the music will register
appreciation of the songwriting duos talents whilst jealously wishing they had
been around in those ground-breaking times.
The show is a must for Beatles
fans; there were many American and European fans in the audience appreciating
the talents of Connor and Newnham which are to be applauded.
The show runs until 28th
March 2026 – more info and tickets available from https://liverpoolsroyalcourt.com/main_stage/come-together
Catch it if you can, you won’t be
disappointed.
Reviewer: Anne Horne
On: 19th
March 2026
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