''Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band on the Road'' was a 1974

off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...

production directed by Tom O'Horgan. It opened at the Beacon Theatre in New York on November 17, 1974 and ran for a total of 66 performances. The plot tells of a

Candide ( , ) is a French satire written by Voltaire, a philosopher of the Age of Enlightenment, first published in 1759. The novella has been widely translated, with English versions titled ''Candide: or, All for the Best'' (1759); ''Candide: or, The ...

-like

rock music Rock is a Music genre, genre of popular music that originated in the United States as "rock and roll" in the late 1940s and early 1950s, developing into a range of styles from the mid-1960s, primarily in the United States and the United Kingdo ...

singer, Billy Shears, who marries Strawberry Fields. Billy loses her to death, and his own integrity to Maxwell's Silver Hammermen, Jack, Sledge and Claw, dressed in

chain mail Mail (sometimes spelled maille and, since the 18th century, colloquially referred to as chain mail, chainmail or chain-mail) is a type of armour consisting of small metal rings linked together in a pattern to form a mesh. It was in common milita ...

and representing the

Hells Angels The Hells Angels Motorcycle Club (HAMC) is an international outlaw motorcycle club founded in California whose members typically ride Harley-Davidson motorcycles. In the United States and Canada, the Hells Angels are incorporated as the Hells ...

of the commercial music business. Billy's '' bête noire'' is a temptress named

Lucy Lucy is an English language, English feminine given name derived from the Latin masculine given name Lucius with the meaning ''as of light'' (''born at dawn or daylight'', maybe also ''shiny'', or ''of light complexion''). Alternative spellings ar ...

. Among the original cast were Ted Neeley as Billy Shears and Alaina Reed as Lucy. David Patrick Kelly played Sgt. Pepper. The musical would later be loosely adapted into the ''

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band ''Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band'' (often referred to simply as ''Sgt. Pepper'') is the eighth studio album by the English rock band the Beatles. Released on 26May 1967, ''Sgt. Pepper'' is regarded by musicologists as an early concept ...

'' film. John Lennon attended several rehearsals and the Opening Night performance with May Pang. It was caught on film in the original promo video for " Whatever Gets You Through the Night". Lennon can also be seen pointing to a New York theater as well as a poster for the film inside the theater in a comedic fashion for the music video for "

Mind Games Mind games (also power games or head games) are actions performed for reasons of psychological one-upmanship, often employing passive–aggressive behavior to specifically demoralize or dis-empower the thinking subject, making the aggressor ...

Musical Numbers

Act One * "

" * "

With a Little Help from My Friends "With a Little Help from My Friends" is a song recorded by English rock band the Beatles for their 1967 album '' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band''. It was written by Paul McCartney and John Lennon, and is sung by drummer Ringo Starr (a ...

" * " Nowhere Man" * "

" (Reprise) * " Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" * " I Want You (She's So Heavy)" * "

Come Together "Come Together" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles, written by John Lennon and credited to Lennon–McCartney. The song is the opening track on the band's 1969 studio album ''Abbey Road''. It was also a double A-side single in the U ...

" * " Nowhere Man" (Reprise) * " Sun Queen" * " Lovely Rita" * " Polythene Pam" * "

She Came In Through the Bathroom Window "She Came In Through the Bathroom Window" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles from their 1969 album ''Abbey Road''. Written by Paul McCartney and credited to Lennon–McCartney, it is the fifth song of the album's climactic medley, i ...

" * " You Never Give Me Your Money" * " Lovely Rita" (Reprise) * " Her Majesty" * "

A Day in the Life "A Day in the Life" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles that was released as the final track of their 1967 album '' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band''. Credited to Lennon–McCartney, the opening and closing sections of the s ...

" * "

She's Leaving Home "She's Leaving Home" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles, written by Paul McCartney and John Lennon, and released on their 1967 album '' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band''. Paul McCartney wrote and sang the verse and John Lenno ...

" * "

Strawberry Fields Forever "Strawberry Fields Forever" is a song by the English Rock music, rock band the Beatles, written by John Lennon and credited to Lennon–McCartney. It was released on 13 February 1967 as a double A-side single with "Penny Lane". It represented ...

" * " Getting Better" Act Two * " Because" * "

When I'm Sixty-Four "When I'm Sixty-Four" is a song by the English rock band The Beatles, written by Paul McCartney (credited to Lennon–McCartney) and released on the 1967 album '' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band''. It was one of the first songs McCartney ...

" * " Because" (Reprise) * " Good Morning Good Morning" * "

Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite! "Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!" is a song recorded by the English rock band the Beatles for their 1967 album ''Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band''. It was written and composed primarily by John Lennon and credited to Lennon–McCartney. ...

" * "

Oh! Darling "Oh! Darling" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles, appearing as the fourth song on their eleventh studio album ''Abbey Road'' (1969). It was written primarily by Paul McCartney and credited to Lennon–McCartney. Its working title w ...

" * " Fixing a Hole" * "

" (Reprise) * "

" (Reprise) * " Mean Mr. Mustard" * " Maxwell's Silver Hammer" * "

" (2nd Reprise) * "

Carry That Weight "Carry That Weight" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles from their 1969 album ''Abbey Road''. Written by Paul McCartney and credited to Lennon–McCartney, it is the seventh and penultimate song in the album's climactic side-two med ...

" * "

Golden Slumbers "Golden Slumbers" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles from their 1969 album ''Abbey Road''. Written by Paul McCartney and credited to Lennon–McCartney, it is the sixth song of the album's Abbey Road#Medley, climactic B-side medley. ...

" * "

" (Reprise) * " The Long and Winding Road" * "

Get Back "Get Back" is a song recorded by the English rock band the Beatles and Billy Preston, written by Paul McCartney, and credited to the Lennon–McCartney partnership. It was originally released as a single on 11 April 1969 and credited to "The B ...

" * " Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)" * "

The End The End may refer to: Film * The End (1953 film), ''The End'' (1953 film), a film by Christopher Maclaine * The End (1978 film), ''The End'' (1978 film), a comedy by Burt Reynolds * ''The End'' (1995 film), a List of Canadian films of 1995, Cana ...

Credits

Produced by Robert Stigwood, in association with Brian Avnet and Scarab Productions, Inc.
Executive Producer, Peter Brown
Associate Producers: Gatchell and Neufeld, Steven Singer, Steven Metz and Howard Dando Music and Lyrics by John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr
Directed by Tom O’Horgan
Scenic Design by Robin Wagner
Lighting Design by Jules Fisher
Costume Design by

Randy Barceló Randy Barceló (September 19, 1946 – December 6, 1994) was a Cuban dancer, photographer, interior designer, and all-around artist. He was also known for his set and costume designs for theatre and film. Biography Born in Havana on September 1 ...

Sound Design by

Abe Jacob Abe John Jacob (born October 7, 1944) is an American sound designer and audio engineer. Called the "Godfather of Sound", Jacob greatly influenced the design of sound reinforcement in modern musical theatre, and was one of the first persons credi ...

Music Arranged and conducted by Gordon Lowry Harrell Production Supervisor: Richard Scanga Opening Night Cast:
Ted Neeley - Billy Shears
Allan Nicholls - Jack Hammer
Kay Cole - Strawberry fields
B.G. Gibson - Claw Hammer
William Parry - Sledge Hammer
Alaina Reed - Lucy Hammeroids: * Blake Anderson * Arlana Blue * Ron Capossoli * Stoney Reece * Jason Roberts Understudies: * Billy – David Patrick Kelley * Strawberry & Lucy – Stoney Reece * Sgt. Pepper, Polythene Pam – Michael Meadows

References

Off-Broadway musicals Musicals based on songs by the Beatles 1974 musicals Jukebox musicals {{1970s-play-stub