09 December 2010
Actor/singer John Waters has returned with his critically acclaimed Looking Through A Glass Onion. His performance at The Opera House on Wednesday night instilled new life into the memory of John Lennon.
Having toured the production since the '90s to celebrated reviews, Waters delivered a fresh, uncanny impersonation of both John Lennon’s singing voice and Liverpool accent. He weaved us through the bright and dark of Lennon’s life. Accompanied by the masterly Stewart D’Arrietta, (Waters’ collaborator, Music Director, singer, pianist and multifarious impersonator) as well as bassist Tony Mitchell of theSherbet fame, guitarist Paul Berton and drummer Greg Henson, the audience were delivered a multi-coloured view of John Lennon without ever fringing on imitation.
Waters gave new meaning and insight to each Lennon track with quirky and sometimes even heart-rending anecdotes that intertwined between favourites like Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds, How Do You Sleep and Come Together.
It takes a very talented man to stand still in one spot for two acts and 28 tracks; captivating an audience that included the likes of Steve Balbi and Erika Heynatz. For Strawberry Fields Waters stood drenched in red light, an ominous shadow projected tall on the wall next to him. During his arresting rendition of Isolation, the stage lights cast horizontally over just his face, his head looked as though it was floating in the darkness.
After a well-deserved standing ovation John Waters and friends performed a two-song encore including the sing-along of the night,Instant Karma. Judging by the many audience members wiping their glassy-eyed faces, Waters’ part biographical, part theatrical mix payed an all-encapsulating homage to the legend that was John Lennon.
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