The Fab Fakes

Who doesn’t know of The Beatles? Even today’s kids have heard of the British band that revolutionized popular music around the world with its stimulating songwriting and vibrant performances. The musicians have been recognized by many critics and social historians as the most popular and influential group of the 20th century.

The Beatles — or, should I say — an amazing recreation of the Fab Four are now on stage at Lily Langtry’s Restaurant and Showplace at the Radisson Hotel in King of Prussia.

DayTripper: A Tribute to the Beatles stars Mitch Weissman as Paul McCartney, Jess Banner as George Harrison, Louie Colucci as Ringo Starr and Shaun Friedrichs as John Lennon. The quartet takes us back to 1964 with its solid rhythms and excitingly rich, tight harmony.

Their 90-minute, two-act concert features the best of the Beatles songbook and includes the routine of Jerry Hoban, a comedian who looks, acts and sounds soooooo much like Ed Sullivan that you will swear Ed has returned from the great beyond just for this "really big shew."

More than just the leaders of the British Invasion, The Beatles were the main force in changing the concept of popular musicians from simple entertainers to social and spiritual gurus. While the group remained hugely popular throughout the decade, The Beatles gradually transformed from fresh-faced boys singing about love into complex young men writing about a world full of political and social upheaval. For many of us, the group reflected the turmoil and change that gripped society during the 1960s.

The Beatles accounted for more number-one singles, albums and gold singles than any act in history except Elvis Presley. In a partnership that lasted only eight years, the Beatles released some 213 songs — about 26 per year — a feat that would overwhelm contemporary artists. And most of those songs have stood the test of time quite well.

I remember watching The Beatles’ first public appearance in the United States on The Ed Sullivan Show on a black-and-white television on Feb. 9, 1964. I wasn’t the only one; 73 million people viewed that telecast — a record even to this day.

You would think that the stage at Lily Langtry’s was designed just for the DayTripper show, with its acoustically perfect wraparound sound system, IntelliBeam and RoboScan lighting, and an expanded stage area. The musical numbers take on the spectacle of a high-tech rock concert with controlled VariLites. These multicolored, multidirectional lights create wonderful effects, like sunlight streaking through fog.

The show takes full advantage of the accommodations. The Beatles revolutionized studio recording methods, proving there was no sound, mood or effect that could not be achieved. Today, many of those innovations are taken for granted, but The Beatles had to imagine or invent them on the fly. Using artificial double tracking, the musicians added their own experimental innovations, including endless tape loops that combined multiple layers of sound, backward effects and the introduction of instruments like the sitar, the mellotron and the synthesizer. You will find the fine instrumentals of the DayTrippers to be most faithful to that Beatles tradition.

The black-on-black setting in the first act was not visually exciting, but a splash of color in the second act made a big difference. I was a bit disappointed with the video interplay or, more accurately, the lack of it. In previous shows, Lily Langtry’s used film footage and real-time stage images, raising the video-interplay technique to an art. So the huge video screens on each side of the stage were not a special attraction in this production. The Liverpool accent of the four DayTrippers was right on the mark.

Of the 213 possible selections from the Beatles catalog, the DayTrippers hit most of the big ones: A Hard Day’s Night, She Loves You, Help!, I Saw Her Standing There, Strawberry Fields Forever, Penny Lane and, oh yes, Hey Jude. OK, so they left out my favorite — Yellow Submarine.

Under the watchful eye of manager Phil Peluso, Lily Langtry’s is a first-rate restaurant that takes pride in its cuisine. The Victorian-style dining area is meticulously clean and every table has a good sight line of the stage. The audience area is roomy but not too large, and you have no trouble seeing the expressions on the performers’ faces.

DayTripper: A Tribute to the Beatles
Through Aug. 1
Lily Langtry’s Restaurant and Showplace
Valley Forge Radisson Hotel
1160 First Ave.
King of Prussia
Dinner and show packages available
610-337-2000
www.LilyLangtrys.com