It’s the story of The Beatles’ two years in Hamburg, told with the classics of American rock ‘n’ roll they played across the Indra, Kaiserkeller and the Star Club, as well as here at home at the Cavern and Litherland Town Hall.
00:00I'm standing here on Matthew Street where the young stars of a brand new Beatles musical
00:07swapped rehearsals for a trip back in time.
00:10It's that kind of like behind the scenes look at it isn't it?
00:13Yeah.
00:13It's not their perspective as such so you get almost a fly on the wall in a way isn't it?
00:19Yeah.
00:19With Alan Williams' eyes.
00:21Yeah through the brain of Alan Williams and his kind of vision for them.
00:27The cast of Shake It Up Baby visited the Liverpool Beatles Museum home for treasures from the band's early years
00:33including Pete Best's drum kit and even a guitar played by a teenage George Harrison.
00:39The way I learned music growing up was through learning Beatles tunes and so just to get the call for this is just amazing.
00:45My granddad's favourite Beatles was George and stuff like that so it's all like all those people are dead close to home
00:50and it's really lovely to be just to be honouring the roles you know.
00:52The show premieres at the Epstein Theatre telling the story about how a group of lads from Liverpool took advantage of Germany in 1960
01:01and came back as the Beatles.
01:03I did a play there going like 10 years back now so it's nice to be back.
01:07I forgot how steep the stage was as well.
01:09Yeah it's so steep.
01:10I need to make sure I don't sleep.
01:12I think today's really starting to sound like we're actually a band.
01:19Yeah and it's cool like the rehearsal process is like kind of mimicking like the Beatles like we're all learning as a group as a band.
01:25Yeah.
01:25It's not like we're learning together learning arrangements together.
01:29I think that plays part into the show of like it's gonna you're gonna get a proper live band feel of it which is so authentic to the Beatles especially when we're playing them as well.
01:35Like they were just like scrappy and just like scrappy and just like learning the trades all together like as kids.
01:42The show's packed with live rock and roll and local favourite Andrew Schofield takes on the role of their first manager Alan Williams.
01:49I think they'll be surprised at how much influence that the early people like Alan Williams and Lord Woodby and Beryl how much influence they had on the Beatles getting to Hamburg staying in Hamburg coming back from Hamburg reforming again bringing new drummers in.
02:09And I think people will kind of be surprised at that element of it it's not just us playing numbers for them and telling the story of the Beatles it's it's the story of those people and their involvement as well.
02:21And if the band's enjoying popularity is anything to go by this show could well strike a chord with fans old and new.
02:29It's a good it's interesting story because obviously like Alan Williams as well focuses a lot on him and I personally didn't really know too much about that kind of side of it.
02:35So as a Beatles fan it's dead interesting to be a part of and I think it's a it's a story that maybe a lot of people maybe don't know loads about obviously they know about Hamburg but kind of coming from Alan's point of view as well who was obviously the original manager.
02:50Shake It Up Baby runs at the Hanover Street Theatre from Friday 26th of September until Saturday 11th of October.
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