Lennon: Through A Glass Onion

The melodies and lyrics of John Lennon are rivalled by few, so the result of sifting through his hits and extracting the best parts to place in chronological order to pay tribute and tell the icon's story yields engaging and fluid material. While one might think that John Waters — who plays a convincing Lennon — had an easy task of piecing the stage show together, it’s the intricacy and carefully calculated timing that really makes the performance compelling.

Fittingly layered and complex — much like the band whose song the title is borrowed from — Through A Glass Onion showcases the best and diverse music of Lennon while detailing his relationships with fame, politics, Yoko Ono and Paul McCartney.

With a gruff and earnest vocal range, Waters carried the story perfectly, singing and playing acoustic to backing vocalist and pianist Stewart D’Arrietta, who, although spending a lot of time in shadows, truly kept the rhythm alive. Having first brought the show to life together in Sydney back in 1992, their chemistry was evident, and it was when Waters' and D’Arrietta's voices combined that the power of Lennon’s work was done true justice. At its peak, Through A Glass Onion was immersive and, at times, might be just about as close as you're going to get to the real deal — that’s if you allow yourself to go along for the ride.