The man behind The Beatles

Andrew Sherlock's play imagines this brilliant but troubled man's drug-fuelled final days whilst looking back upon his illustrious adult life and meteoric career from his drama school days to managing the world's biggest pop group.

It's a window into the private world of Brian Epstein, the music entrepreneur whose stellar career as The Beatles' manager made him a household name, yet whose controversial personal life remained the purview of only friends and close business associates until his tragic death of at the age of 32 of an accidental drug overdose.

Featuring solid performances from Nicholas Pauling as the crazed Epstein, and Sven Ruygrok as a soulful young admirer who invades the intimate space of the notorious manager of The Beatles, it's a play that poignantly takes us into the lives of a person who is tainted by fame, and one seduced by its allure.

Wild and unpredictable nature

Pauling brilliantly crawls under the skin of man who is swallowed by fame, bringing back fond memories of his award-winning performance as Mozart in Amadeus. As Epstein, Pauling wonderfully seduces us to embrace the character's flawed existence, and then detests us when Epstein's wild and unpredictable nature surfaces.

Ruygrok is a young actor to keep an eye out for; he impressed with his performance in the film Spud and here he truly immerses himself into his character, giving an emotional performance that is heartfelt. When he tearfully delivers his final monologue you can really see the soul of the character.

Director Fred Abrahamse skilfully balances the reality of the exterior life of the play with its allusive interior life that takes us into the imagination of the characters as they drift into a polluted past that informs their precarious future.

Although the play subtextually (and subtly) hints at Epstein's relationship with other young men who hunted him down, it would have been interesting if the playwright allowed us access to that intimate space where a lonely man seeks intimacy, or how a studly young writer loses his innocence to corruption.

Epstein: The Man Who Made The Beatles is theatre at its best, allowing our imaginations to take flight as we listen to the character's pouring their hearts out, taking us to our own Beatle moments beyond the walls of the theatre.

If you are looking for a night out at the theatre where you can take a nostalgic trip into the past, Epstein: The Man Who Made The Beatles is only on until 17 October at the Theatre on The Bay, so make sure to book your seats in advance. Performances are Tuesday to Saturday at 8pm, Saturday, 17 October at 5pm and 8pm. Go to www.theatreonthebay.co.za or call +27 (0)21 438 3301.

For more live theatre, go to www.writingstudio.co.za