Tom Wright's bittersweet play Please Please Me, now showing at the Kiln Theatre, shifts focus from the Beatles' manager Brian Epstein's professional success to his personal struggles. Often called the Fifth Beatle, Epstein was a gay Jewish man at a time when homosexuality was criminalised and anti-Semitism was rife, forcing him to keep his identity hidden.
A Key Scene: Epstein and Lennon in Torremolinos
One pivotal scene depicts the night Epstein spent with John Lennon (Noah Ritter, making an assured stage debut) in a shared hotel room in Torremolinos in April 1963. Wright suggests an intimate encounter between them, something Lennon later hinted at. Epstein was drawn to Lennon's masculine swagger and charm.
Exploring Epstein's Relationships and Rise
The play also explores Epstein's relationship with the sole female artist he managed, Cilla Black (Eleanor Worthington-Cox, who also plays Aunt Mimi and Cynthia). Wright charts Epstein's ascent from running the record department in his father's Liverpool furniture shop to becoming one of the most famous pop managers of all time, before his struggles with drug addiction and early death in 1967.
While some may yearn for Beatles songs, David Shrubsole's upbeat score marks the passing of time in Amit Sharma's understated staging. Lynch gives a compelling performance, yet Wright only fleetingly touches on pivotal moments in Epstein's short life – his first meeting with Lennon, the Beatles' breakthrough, Cynthia's pregnancy, and the infamous 'more popular than Jesus' remark – rather than building a cohesive narrative.
Sharma's production picks up pace in the second half, and the drama takes off. It's uneven, but the thrilling performances ensure we remain invested in this well-trodden story. Until May 29 at kilntheatre.com.
