Lichfield Garrick | Review by Tom Roberts
George Harrison, the “Quiet Beatle”, is often somewhat overlooked in favour of messieurs Lennon and McCartney, who dominated the Fab Four headlines both on and off stage. A shame, because behind that quiet and thoughtful persona lay a hugely interesting and profoundly talented man.
Harrison’s career post-Beatles is documented superbly in this touring production — a clever mix of songs and narration led by Daniel Taylor in the eponymous role. It’s a simple but highly effective format: a band onstage throughout, fronted by Taylor, who provides insights and stories from Harrison’s solo years through to his death in 2001. The songs are front and centre, but this is far more than a tribute concert.
The phases and encounters of Harrison’s life after The Beatles split are well charted. His triumphant 1970 debut solo album All Things Must Pass, featuring the hit single My Sweet Lord, was heavily influenced by his association with the Hare Krishna movement — something introduced to him towards the end of The Beatles’ time and which clearly shaped his musical style.
He formed a strong friendship with Indian musician Ravi Shankar, resulting in the landmark fundraising project The Concert for Bangladesh — a forerunner of global charity concerts like Live Aid.
Then, of course, came the personal challenges: losing the love of his life, Patti Boyd, to his friend Eric Clapton; surviving a frenzied knife attack by an intruder; losing his beloved bandmate John Lennon; and ultimately his own battle with throat cancer — a huge irony for a man whose voice gave such pleasure to millions.
There were triumphs too. A fine catalogue of well-received albums. Finding lasting love with Olivia Arias, followed by the birth of their son, Dhani. Their marriage endured for over 30 years until his untimely passing.
There was also his successful foray into film production through Handmade Films, backing box office hits such as Life of Brian and The Long Good Friday.
And musically, he was far from finished. The formation of the supergroup The Travelling Wilburys — alongside Jeff Lynne, Bob Dylan, Tom Petty and Roy Orbison produced two superb, critically acclaimed albums.
The dilemma in a show like this is always what to include and what to leave out. Harrison’s catalogue was extensive. The choices here feel just right, mixing well-known classics such as Something, Here Comes the Sun, Taxman and End of the Line with lesser-known gems like Dark Sweet Lady and Any Road.
Taylor is superb throughout, not only in his interpretation of the songs but in his beautifully crafted narration between numbers. The subtle one-liners delivered in that distinctive, jaunty Harrison tone are spot on, bringing authenticity and warmth to the performance. There are moments of joy followed by genuine pathos as events unfold in Harrison’s life, all played out against projected footage and imagery that provide rich visual context.
Huge credit must also go to the band. The arrangements are faithful to the originals and the playing is uniformly outstanding. It was genuinely difficult to stay seated during guitarist and Musical Director Joe Smithson’s solo on While My Guitar Gently Weeps — one of the best I’ve heard live in years.
The show tours until March. Try to catch it if you can.
An absolute joy.
For more information visit: www.somethingaboutproductions.com
