The Beatles returned to stage, and in our very own Kolkata! On a winter evening, students of St. James’ School on AJC Bose Road, put together a musical tribute to the Liverpool lads with Sgt. Peppers Gets Back!, a play named after the Beatles album.
The school auditorium was decked out in Beatles memorabilia, taking the audience back to the 1960s, with the legendary band in their heyday.
Beatles memorabilia and standees were put up all around the school
The musical was directed by Sumit Lai Roy, the founder of Kolkata’s oldest amateur English theatre group, The Red Curtain. Though not a part of the school, Lai Roy has been doing musicals with the school for a few years now. In 2017, the students put up a musical based on Pink Floyd’s The Wall under his guidance.
In fact, it was his idea to make it a Beatles tribute. A big fan of the band, Lai Roy took the ideas the students had and the messages they wanted to convey and turned to the Beatles discography to bring forth those ideas. Songs by The Beatles became the means to showcase what the students wanted to say.
One of the centrepieces of the musical was a band that played Beatles songs throughout the play, both on their own and also as accompaniment to the actors and performers. The songs, while staying true to the music of the band, were modified to fit the themes of the 90-minute show by changing the lyrics in sections.
“It is like a concept album,” said Aryan Mukherjee, a Class XII student, the captain and a drummer in the school’s band.
Sumit Lai Roy directed the musical
Unlike other times, when the musicals are rehearsed for about 10 months and planned a year or even two in advance, this tribute was put together in a much shorter amount of time, said the participants. The concept was finalised only about four months before the performance. It took the entire school’s effort over months to put this together and even the participants were amazed at how the performance grew.
Aryan also mentioned the role of their band teacher, Deep Phoenix. “He is very intelligent about music, and he knew exactly how to get us perfect,” he said.
The 90-minute performance used The Beatles discography to convey the students’ messages
While Aryan was on drums, Shaurya Dalan was on lead guitar, Abhinav Peters on keyboard and Rajeev on second keyboard/sound engineering. Soham Bandopadhyay was the lead vocalist for most of the band’s music. There was Yuvaan Drew-Flynn, and Aparajit Kapooria on brass, and Dighvij Chirimar on bass. The main three actors were Avinash Ray, who played Jude; Caleb Gomes, who played Maxwell; and Krish Roy Burman, who played Jojo — all characters named after Beatles songs so that it fits the theme.
The musical was special for many reasons, one of which was that it was making a comeback after being cancelled due to the pandemic. This was especially meaningful for students like Aryan who are in their last year at St. James’.
Aryan Mukherjee on the drums, and Dighvij Chirimar on bass
For bassist Dighvij, also a Class XII student, it was an “exhilarating experience” playing the music of The Beatles. “Being a part of such a production involved mastering various guitar techniques, from the gentle melodies of Yesterday to the energetic chords of Twist and Shout. The challenge and joy of bringing these legendary songs to life on stage has created unforgettable memories.”
Reflecting on the show, Aryan said, “It was my last chance to take part in a musical like this. This was really a spur of the moment — we didn’t think we would be having a musical, but then this came about, and we are very glad it happened.”
