John photographed during promotion, outside the theatre and backstage for the opening night for the short lived “off-broadway” theatre production of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band on the Road: A Rock Spectacle, which opened at New York’s Beacon Theatre on the 17th November, 1974.
The show was produced by Robert Stigwood and directed by Tom O’Horgan, and included 29 songs, primarily from Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band and Abbey Road. Apart from the music, the Beatles weren’t directly involved in the show, but John attended some rehearsals and attended the opening night, accompanied by May Pang. Yoko also came to the opening night, and other celebrities including Andy Warhol, Bianca Jagger and ‘Papa’ John Phillips. Paul and Linda reportedly came to see the show in December, but none of these factors stopped the show from closing in January, 1975.
“I think that what we did offended Beatles fans, because we didn’t follow the record. Whatever the record was about — we took some songs out and put others in, and — ‘How dare you!’ It was like messing with Bach or something.”
[Tom O’Horgan, director of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band on the Road: A Rock Spectacle]
Pics: Chuck Pulin
