Rain: A Tribute to the Beatles

Rain: A Tribute to the Beatles, styled RAIN, is a Beatles tribute and later a theatrical production. It started before the famous Broadway show Beatlemania and has been performed on Broadway and on tour for many years.

The show tells the story of The Beatles through their music, performing about 30 of their songs. There is very little talking between songs, mostly just the music being played just like the Beatles did. The show uses high-definition backdrops with colorful effects, old television commercials, and videos of the cast acting out famous moments from The Beatles’ history. Because of rules, the performers are not called by the real Beatles’ names.

Each show has two actors for each Beatles member, who take turns performing, and there is also a keyboard player off-stage to help make the music sound just like the original recordings.

History

Rain started in 1975 in Laguna Beach, California as a band called Reign. They played their own music and songs by The Beatles. The band’s name came from a 1966 Beatles song called "Rain," which was the B-side of another song, "Paperback Writer."

Mark Lewis, one of the band’s founders, helped them get regular performances at a place called the Mine Shaft in Calabasas, California. Soon, many Beatles fans in the Los Angeles and Orange County areas came to see them perform. The band became well-known and even performed at a big TV show in 1978.

Over the years, Rain kept growing. By 2005, they decided to create a big Broadway-style show, just like another famous Beatles show called Beatlemania. Their big Broadway run happened in 2010, where they performed many times in New York City. Rain continued to tour and perform, sharing The Beatles’ music with fans everywhere.

Synopsis

The show starts with four actors showing an early version of The Beatles at the Cavern Club in 1962. After this scene, The Beatles travel to America and begin their tour at The Ed Sullivan Show. As the show moves forward, The Beatles change their music style and become more popular, leading to their biggest concert at New York City’s Shea Stadium. Later scenes use colorful and dreamy designs to show The Beatles trying new ideas and learning from different cultures. The show ends with the group splitting up and the close of the 1960s.

Cast members

This show has had many talented performers play the roles of the Beatles over the years. Some of the actors who played John Lennon included Eddie Lineberry, Randy Clark, Jim Riddle, Jimmy Irizarry, David Leon, Tim Piper, and Steve Landes.

For Paul McCartney, performers included Chuck Coffey, Glenn Burtnik, Robert "Mac" Ruffing, Graham Alexander, Alan LaBoeuf, Ardy Sarraf, Ian B. Garcia, Joey Curatolo, and Paul Curatolo.

George Harrison was portrayed by Bill Connearney, Tom Teeley, Jimmy Pou, Joe Bithorn, and Alastar McNeil.

Ringo Starr's role was filled by Grant Belotti, Bobby Taylor, Steve Wight, Chris McBurney, Ralph Castelli, Aaron Chiazza, Dylan Verge, Joseph Bologna, and Douglas Cox.

The show's keyboard and percussion players included Mark Lewis, Mark Beyer, Chris Smallwood, and John Korba.