Real Stories and Emotions
Reviewed by Marilu Murphy
Taking my seat in the balcony and glancing at the stage, I immediately stepped back into my childhood. A wave of pure nostalgia hit me the moment I saw those photos. Suddenly, I was a kid again, smelling the sweet wrappers and tasting the gum that came with those prized cards. They held my first true crushes. I treasured every piece of cardboard, falling in love with Paul one day, and George, John, or Ringo the next. I loved them all, they were the Beatles.
Music of the Beatles is now on stage at the Victoria Playhouse in Petrolia.
The backdrop was smartly lit with tiny lights and many screens showcasing early Beatles photos. The stage set looked instantly familiar—the drum kit a similar replica of the one Ringo sat behind, reminding me right away of their historic performance on the Ed Sullivan Show. I remember being immediately caught up in the excitement all over again, just like when I was a kid, watching those four long-haired guys play their guitars while jumping up and down on our sofa.
Marc Payne, Mr. Music himself, has done it again with Music Of The Beatles. He has brought another amazing and jaw dropping performance to the Victoria Playhouse.
Taking the stage to recreate that legendary moment, the band was identically dressed in sharp black suits, crisp white shirts, and narrow black ties. Marc Payne and Nathan Nykor each had their keyboards, with Matt Ballagh on guitar, Malcolm Connor on bass, and Evan Chambers sitting behind that wonderful drum kit.
The first song is “Its a Hard Days Night” and along with that clean performance by Alex Baerg, Colleen Furlan, Seth Zosky and Jenn Kee comes some of the history of The Fab Four making their debut on the Ed Sullivan Show back in 1964. Monitors on each side of the stage play reels of that very same show, along with footage of screaming young girls in the audience. It was at this exact time that the world didn’t know what had hit them. To calm the audience regarding their long hair, the Beatles sang the ballad “Till There Was You”. This song is beautifully performed by Alex, Colleen, Seth, and Jenn.
Jenn takes the stage with an acoustic guitar to sing “Blackbird”. The lyrics carry a powerful message of hope and solidarity, originally directed toward Black women experiencing racial tension during the Civil Rights Era. While her voice is soft and meaningful, her delivery was a bit difficult to hear over the accompanying harmonies. Alex plays the guitar and sings “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” . His voice is warm and rich as he sings this beautiful song written by George Harrison..
“Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” is a trippy song written by John Lennon and inspired by kids and crayons. Colleen sings this song with so much expression while she physically almost floats across the stage to imitate the feelings that the music promotes. Kaleidoscope lighting adds to that “trippiness” feeling.
Seth sings “Something”, his voice is smooth and strong, and he performs with incredible energy. Matt accompanies him playing awesome guitar licks.
The audience is totally involved, clapping, cheering, and whistling after each performance. The band plays flawlessly, complementing each song and adding their own style without taking anything away from the original recordings. The drummer, Evan Chambers, is amazing. He is constantly smiling as he effortlessly plays the skins and keeps the beat. The audience is left in awe when Evan hands a pair of sticks over to Seth, and the two give us a great tandem performance.
Jenn gives a very powerful performance singing “Hey Jude”. Her voice is so strong and her range is extensive. She sings this song with so much emotion that it brings tears to my eyes. Jenn shows how versatile she is when she sings “Ticket to Ride”, giving it a wonderful jazzy, bluesy feel.
The second half is jam packed full of songs that we know and love. The performers have changed their wardrobe from white pant suits to brown velour, a brown mini shirt dress, a brown glittery mini dress, and a cream coloured suit, all fitting for the time period.
To add even more enjoyment and fun, the audience is invited to join the performers and band in singing a few of the Beatles well known songs. The lyrics are on the monitors for us to follow along to songs such as “Yellow Submarine”, “Here Comes The Sun” and others.
The whole cast sings “Yesterday” a cappella. Their voices are beautifully deep, rich, and resonating as they achieve a perfect harmony.
“Twist and Shout” is performed by Seth, Jenn, Colleen and Alex. I remember some of the dances of the day such as the Swim and the Monkey that they expertly intermingled with the Twist.
The choreography, the voices, the band, and the professionalism in Music of the Beatles make it yet another successful theatrical performance offered by the Victoria Playhouse. The audience immediately gives the performers and band a well-deserved standing ovation. This wonderful performance and fabulous music brought back so many memories for me. It truly is a walk back in time, and I thoroughly enjoyed every second of the trip.
Music Of The Beatles is playing at the Victoria Playhouse in Petrolia and is extended due to popular demand from September 15 with matinees at 2 PM to October 9. There is an evening showing at 7:30 PM with a cabaret following the performance on October 2. There will be no show on September 30. You can order tickets online at thevpp.ca or call the Box Office at 1-800-717-7694 or 519-882-1221
Photo: From left to right: Seth Zosky, Alex Baerg, Colleen Furlan and Jenn Kee. Photo by Diane O’Dell.
Music Of The Beatles
A VPP Original
Director/Choreographer: David Hogan
Music Director/Arrangements: Mark Payne
Performed by Alex Baerg, Colleen Furlan, Michael Hughes, Jenn Kee, Seth Zosky
Musicians: Mark Payne ( Keys 1), Nathan Nykor ( Keys 2), Matt Ballagh ( Guitar), Malcolm Connor (Bass), Evan Chamber (Percussion).
Victoria Playhouse, Petrolia
September 15 to October 9, 2026
Reviewed by Marilu Murphy