BACKBEAT starring Ruta Gedmintas opens in the West End

BACKBEAT starring Ruta Gedmintas as Astrid Kirchherr has opened to great notices at The Duke of York Theatre in the West End. The play is an adaptation of the 1994 film by Iain Softley telling the story of the birth of the Beatles and focussing on the relationship between the band’s original bassist Stuart Sutcliffe (Nick Blood), the striking German photographer Astrid Kirchherr (Ruta Gedmintas) whom he fell in love with, and his best friend John Lennon (Andrew Knott). The show is directed by the award-winning David Leveaux, and is packed full of rock-and-roll standards played live on-stage.

BACKBEAT is playing at The Duke of York Theatre on St. Martin's Lane, booking to 24th March 2012. More information on the show can be found on the official website www.backbeatlondon.com and tickets can be purchased here.

Here's what some of the critics had to say:

* * * * * Financial Times

* * * * Evening Standard, whatsonstage, Gay Times

"intelligent, multilayered and often touching account of the Beatles' early days in Hamburg and Liverpool"
"David Leveaux's moody, often painterly production... [is] always visually arresting and, finally, a little bit heartbreaking too"
Lyn Gardner - The Guardian

"Astrid Kirchherr (a lovely performance from lissom Ruta Gedmintas), the blonde photographer who was the group’s first groupie."
"This is isn’t just another jukebox musical, nor is it another brain-dead tribute show. It’s a beautifully wrought and darkly cynical evocation of an era, and a particular place... For once, you really do feel like dancing in the aisles at the end."
Michael Coveney - whatsonstage

"a cool impressive performance from Ruta Gedmintas as the arty photographer"
Libby Purves - The Times

"this is far from another lazy compilation musical to clog up the weakening arteries of the West End"
"Backbeat is a back-story to cherish"
Fiona Mountford - Evening Standard

"the genuine surprise of it is how nuanced and compelling the story it tells is, brilliantly threaded through with rousing pop classics"
"David Leveaux’s galvanising production keeps the narrative as well as the songs in constant motion that is, in the end, full of emotion, too."
Mark Shenton - The Stage