Michelle Fairless
Nate Bott (left) plays John Lennon in the touring production.
The Beatles may have broken up three decades before Mary Deck, Glen Kuenzi, Brett Petrykowski and Tatiana Tandias were even born, but the members of the Madison West High School String Quartet will play a supporting role in resurrecting the band’s musical legacy at the Barrymore Theatre on Saturday, May 21.
In My Life: A Musical Theatre Tribute to the Beatles retells the Fab Four’s story through the eyes of manager Brian Epstein. The highly acclaimed touring production features note-perfect performances from the renowned Beatles tribute band, Abbey Road, whose members perform 33 Beatles songs in the musical. The production includes multimedia, period costumes and vintage instruments.
The Barrymore show is also a homecoming for Madison native and 1995 La Follette High School graduate Nate Bott, a member of Abbey Road, who portrays John Lennon. For Bott, who once played with the defunct power-pop band Big City Rock — which sounded “like the Killers but without the self-consciousness,” according to long-gone Blender magazine — returning to the Barrymore brings back plenty of memories.
“Seeing the Pixies in their original lineup at the Barrymore was one of the coolest shows I’ve seen to this day,” he says. “And I played there when I was 16 in my high school band, Stinkfish, at a ska fest.”
For the West High strings players, this is a chance to play alongside professional touring musicians. “We learned there are several strong programs in the area,” says Andy Nagle, In My Life’s producer and co-author, adding that local quartets must be able to play “Eleanor Rigby” and “Yesterday” “spot on.”
This opportunity is a first for West’s music department, according to Fred Schrank, the school’s orchestra director and longtime bassist for the Madison Symphony Orchestra. “Most high school musicians perform concerts where their audience is primarily their parents and family members.”
For Deck, a 15-year-old violinist, part of the appeal is performing music that inspired her. “When I was a kid, my younger brother and I would make fake guitars out of Tinkertoys and pretend to play along with Beatles CDs,” says Deck. “The fun I had pretending to play Beatles concerts is part of what made me want to play the violin.”
Schrank anticipates the performance will be a milestone for his students. “My hope is they become aware of the opportunities out there other than playing classical music,” he says. “Now more than ever, violin, viola and cello players can be seen in many different types of bands and musical settings. It’s just one more avenue they can explore.”