UP CLOSE & PERSONAL,WHERE IT ALL BEGAN

“It’s the most pertinent, perceptive and revealingly honest theatrical presentation about theremarkable life of John Lennon that I know” – Ritchie Yorke (former International Peace Envoy for John and Yoko Lennon’s War is Over If You Want It peace campaign and author/journalist/rockmusic historian)

In 1992, John Waters and Stewart D’Arrietta took to the small stage at the Tilbury Hotel, Woolloomooloo, Sydney with their debut production of “Looking Through A Glass Onion”.  What was an initially a one week booking quickly sold out and extended into a six week, sell out season.  Thus the original seed of “Looking For A Glass Onion” was born.

Fast forward 20 years and after many successful and sold out Glass Onion tours, John and Stewart have decided to return to their ‘up close and personal’ intimate 2 man show tour commencing in January 2012.

“It began its life as a small venue piece with just Stewart D’Arrietta and myself on stage at the Tilbury Hotel in Sydney.  I made my entrance from a kichen and climbed over patron’s laps to scramble onto a tiny raised platform in the corner of the
room.  The audience and I were inescapably intimate with each other from the very start, and I kinda like that.  Not every venue we play this time around can be exactly like that, but it’s the feeling I want to create – to take the show back to its roots” says John Waters. “This is a last chance opportunity for regional Australia to see this show as we’ll be taking it to Broadway in New York in 2013 and are in discussion with Yoko Ono on aspects of the New York shows”.

The National Tour of “Looking Through A Glass Onion” commenced in November 2010 at the Sydney Opera House, with a sell out 2 week season the production quickly extended throughout 2011 taking in over 30,000 ticket salesnationally to be the ‘highest selling Australian Artist tour thus far in 2011”.

“Its been fantastic the response the show is receiving, especiallyfrom the younger audiences that are coming along, some of whom were not even born when Lennon and The Beatles were recording and releasing their music, it’s a testament to the legacy of the man and his music that still excites and intrigues people to this day” says Waters.

“Although we’ve done two tours with the full band we were constantly inundated with requests from areas we had yet to tour to come and perform, so we’ve yielded to the call and decided to go back out of the road with the original 2 Man show” cites Waters.

A homage to the music, mystery and memory of John Lennon.

The show is not a cut-and-paste biography of Lennon or an emulation of the original recordings.  On stage, with shadows from the lighting arrangement fluttering over his face as he explores the essence of the man through song and spoken word.  Waters, becomes synonymous with Lennon.  He shies away from imitating the artist, but so emotive is his performance, it lulls the audience into believing anything is
possible.  It’s part concert and part biography, though it doesn’t seek to tell the full story of Lennon’s life.

“Rather than to impersonate, I wanted to evoke his honesty, bitter-sweet humour, self criticism and disdain for pretentiousness and
pomposity”, says Waters.

“The song Glass Onion was John Lennon’s postscript to The Beatles.  It had such a strong image ofcrystal ball-gazing and peeling away the layers that it inspired the format for this show – a kaleidoscope collage of song, word, emotion and image”, agrees
D’Arrietta with Waters.

For the audience this is either an emotional trip down memory lane or a wonderful introduction to the life and times of one of the most
fascinating icons of our time.

With 31 songs performed including to name a few, ‘A Day in the Life’, ‘Strawberry Fields Forever’, ‘Revolution’, ‘Lucy In the Sky with
Diamonds’, ‘Woman’, ‘Jealous Guy’, ‘Imagine’ and more, this is a show for all ages.

” a remarkable celebration of a unique talent… Waters does it brilliantly” THE SPECTATOR, LONDON

“John Waters encapsulates the essence of Lennon.” CAPITOL RADIO, LONDON

“The humour, the pace, the crispintercuts of light and sound, the emotional texture of music and narrative, and the insights add up to a stirring celebration of genius.” SYDNEY MORNING HERALD

“Angry, wired and wiry…..a powerfully recalled lament.” LONDON GUARDIAN

Welcome to the official John Waters website

John Waters is one of Australia’s most recognised and respected television, film and theatrical actors. He was born in London, England on December 8 1948, to Scottish actor Russell Waters and wife Barbara. The family, including siblings Philip, Angela, Stephen and Fiona, lived in a rented top floor 2 bedroom flat in 56c Anlaby Road, Teddington, Middlesex close to the Thames TV studios.