Yoko Ono and son Sean Lennon arrive for the premiere of Lennon in New York. (Reuters)

Missing, the man

It was one of the most anticipated musicals this summer on Broadway, with much hype and hoopla surrounding its launch. But for most John Lennon and Beatles fans, the only saving grace of the show are the 27 songs.

?Bland?, ?boring?, and in no way representative of either the multi-faceted man or his life is how most critics have described Lennon, the musical.

With nine actors playing Lennon and the show more focused on the love story between him and his second wife Yoko Ono and her influence on his life (the show had her stamp of approval), there?s much missing about the John Lennon we know ? or want to know.

Nostalgia notwithstanding, there?s very little to learn about Lennon in the musical, or get excited about. There is almost no mention of his drug habits, and very little about his time with the Beatles. Rather, the show is heavy with references to Lennonisms of peace.

What helps to salvage the musical a little are performances by Will Chase, one of the Lennon portrayers, and actress Marcy Harriell. And there?s no denying the eternally emotional quality of songs like Instant Karma, Beautiful Boy, Woman is the Nigger of the World and Give Peace a Chance.

But for the majority of reviewers and viewers, the most ? and often only ? moment of touching truth in the show is in the last few minutes, when the screen portrays the real man, with Yoko Ono in the Imagine video, and Lennon?s voice rings out in the auditorium.

Bonded by theatre

They are a group of individuals with varied lives and professions, but the one thing that binds them together is the stage. After half a decade of pursuing theatre as a hobby and raising funds for social service, they have now come together to form the group Anyapesha Natyanesha. The team comprises doctors, lawyers, chartered accountants, architects, businessmen and corporate honchos.

Their first concerted stage effort was a production of D.L. Roy?s Shahjahan in 1999, in collaboration with Bengali theatre group Kuhak and with help from writer Sunil Gangopadhyay. Funds from the show were donated towards the medical treatment of the late Pandit V.G. Jog. The group has since performed a number of times at different venues to raise funds for several people and organisations, from Gita Dey to Pather Panchali.

Anyapesha Natyanesha has once again joined hands with Kuhak to stage the new version of their earlier production Abbulish on September 1, from 6.30 pm, at Rabindra Sadan. The proceeds from the show will be used for Kuhak?s project with the slum children in Chetla.