Herald Theatre
Review: Graham Reid
To many, John Lennon is a secular saint whose senseless murder almost 20 years ago is akin to martyrdom.
That, and the growth of Lennon Inc under the astute guidance of his widow Yoko Ono, presents a problem for anyone who would write a one-man play about this flawed, gifted musician and sometime peace activist.
But John Water's Glass Onion is a clever piece: it isn't chronological which means layers of personality are revealed onion-like; doesn't shy from presenting Lennon's arrogance, petulance and volatility (all of which Lennon acknowledged); and he has chosen a number of less familiar but revealing songs (I'm So Tired, Crippled Inside, Steel and Glass) to punctuate the narrative.
The result is a play - the text of which uses many of Lennon's reported statements, or subtle variations of the same - of unexpected depth, emotional resonance and insight.
Darryl Lovegrove as Lennon is, for the most part, exceptionally good. Excellent sound and his studied vocal delivery means the ballads are given genuine, and often loving, attention and he seems especially at home on the rockers and angst-ridden material (Ballad of John and Yoko, Mother necessarily given full-throated roar.)
He sensibly avoids dressing the part - Lennon was of as many appearances as opinions - but adopts Lennon's distinctive Liverpudlian accent (although with some plummy Oxbridge "o" which can be distracting in a piece where "Yoko Ono" is mentioned frequently.)
With keyboardist Deryn Trainer providing backing vocals, samples and some perhaps unintentional McCartney-style eyebrow elevation, Glass Onion rises above what cynics might have expected, yet another hagiography.
It is theatre as personality study. With great songs.
Yes, suspend disbelief and the expected, well-founded cynicism. Glass Onion is a revealing, entertaining piece of theatre - and one where people are allowed space to clap after the songs.
<i>Perfomance:</i> Glass Onion
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