Let It Be Takes Beatles Fans on Magical, Mystical Journey of a Reunion That Never Was

The musical legacy of The Fab Four will be celebrated with a weekly residency all this month with “Let It Be: A Celebration of the Music of the Beatles” at Soudwaves, located at The Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City now through Aug. 28.

The show–starring Neil Candelora as Paul McCartney, JT Curtis as George Harrison, Michael Gagliano as John Lennon and Chris McBurney as Ringo Starr–takes fans on a musical journey with the group, from arriving in America and appearing on the Ed Sullivan Show, playing at Shea Stadium, “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Heart’s Club Band,” the Rooftop Concert, and a chance to imagine a reunion that never was, celebrating Lennon’s 40th birthday on Oct. 9, 1980.

The musicians do a fantastic job capturing the essence of The Beatles through every era, from the wigs, costumes, and even the instruments. Candelora as McCartney goes the extra mile playing the bass left handed despite being a right-handed musician, Curtis nimbly handles double duty as both Harrison and Eric Clapton (taking on the iconic solo) for “While My Guitar Gently Weeps,” Gagliano captures Lennon’s wit and sarcasm encouraging audience members to clap along or rattle your jewelry, and McBurney offers Starr’s famed peace sign, calling for “Peace and Love” and nailing the vocals on “It Don’t Come Easy.”

The imagined reunion concert additionally gives each Beatle a chance to shine on solo material as well, with Gagliano’s emotional rendering of Lennon’s “Watching the Wheels” wearing that iconic New York shirt and carrying the weight of what might have been had Lennon lived.

For extra fun, the show involves the audience with Beatles trivia, black and white commercials (with “mild” Pall Malls eliciting big time laughter), videos of screaming fans at Shea Stadium, and music from other bands (a singalong of The Monkees “I’m a Believer” was a crowd pleaser), film footage, background photos of Abbey Road, and more.

Songs include: “A Hard Day’s Night,” “I Wanna Hold Your Hand,” “Hey Jude,” “Imagine,” “Day Tripper,” “Live And Let Die,”  “When I’m 64” (as a nod to several generations of Beatlemaniacs in the audience), “Birthday,” “Help,” and more.

“Let It Be” is the first of The Hard Rock Hotel and Casino’s Musicals That Rock Series. For tickets, click HERE.