RED BANK: BEING FOR THE BENEFIT OF…
The Beatlemania Stage Show — featuring Lucien Nocelli, Lincroft’s answer to Lennon— returns for its annual benefit concert at Two River Theater this Sunday afternoon, August 3.
The original Lads lineup may have crossed that pedestrian walkway to the other side — but like some jukebox Justice League, it often becomes necessary to summon The Beatles back into being whenever there’s a cause to be supported; a wrong to be righted. And so it is that every now and then, Lincroft-based guitarist, singer, songwriter and music educator Lucien Nocelli assembles his mates, suits up in moptop wigs, matching suits and Beatle boots, and takes to the stage for a musical multimedia presentation that can only be called The Beatlemania Stage Show.
Based on the long-running Broadway smash that framed the Fab Four’s music in period costume changes and projected images of the tumultuous Sixties, the regional touring act presents Nocelli — a fast-fingered fusion fretmeister on his own recordings — as John Lennon, an artist he’s channeled both in these Beatlemania shows and in intimate solo settings. He’s joined by Bob Halligan Jr. (Paul), Joe Nocco (Ringo) and James Striffolino (George) for a polished tribute that returns to the stage of Two River Theater on Sunday, August 3.
Scheduled for 3 pm, it’s the latest in what’s become an annual Red Bank appearance by the Beatlemaniacs — and it’s a concert from which all proceeds will be dedicated to the benefit of Housing and United Services, Inc., a nonprofit organization which provides essential independent living services for the blind and disabled. The boys will perform their show in two acts, broken into four stages of Beatledom — the “Coming to America” chart-toppers; the “Growing and Changing” masters of the studio; the “Psychedelia” of Sgt. Pepper and beyond, and the “End of an Era” coming-apart of the final sessions. A 20-minute intermission will feature a raffle drawing, with the chances on sale in the lobby prior to the show.
Take it here for tickets to the Beatlemania Stage Show ($37 general admission, or $55 premium reserved seating).