Lennon's Banjo
312 Main St, Palmerston North
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Lennon’s Banjo – one of the most hotly-anticipated plays of 2023 - will make its Southern hemisphere premiere at the Globe Theatre, Palmerston North
Under licence from Pulse Stage Plays (UK) and presented by Manawatu Theatre Society, Lennon’s Banjo will open at the Globe Theatre on the 17th August. For a two-week run, continuing through until 26th August.
Directed by Steve Jenkins, Lennon’s Banjo stars Phil White, Micheal Rewiri-Thorsen, Michelle Thompson and Shar Carson.
When Beatles tour guide and Fab Four nerd Barry Seddon finds a letter written by John
Lennon, he unearths a clue to solving the greatest mystery in pop history – the whereabouts of Lennon’s first musical instrument which has been missing for 60 years.
But Barry’s loose tongue alerts tourist and Texan dealer, Travis Lawson, to the priceless
relic.
In an attempt to get his hands on the letter, and the clues within it, Travis persuades his
beautiful wife Cheryl to befriend the hapless tour guide and win his affections.
The race to find the holy grail of pop memorabilia is on!
On 9 October 1957, a young John Lennon turned 17. It was the last birthday he would spend with his mother, Julia, who was killed the following summer in a road traffic accident. 2023 marks the 65th anniversary of Julia's death and the banjo's disappearance.
It is well documented that Lennon was estranged from his parents and brought up by his Aunt Mimi. He said in many of his interviews: “I lost my mother twice. Once when I was five-years-old when she left me with my Aunt Mimi, and again at 17 when she was run over by a drunken off-duty police officer.”
It was Julia Lennon who introduced John to the world of pop music, teaching him to play rock and roll on a banjo, given to her by John's grandfather. Lennon often recounted how he would sneak off to visit his mum who lived only a few miles away. There, he would learn to play songs like ‘That’ll Be The Day’. He has been quoted as saying: “Mum would sit there with endless patience until I managed to work out all the chords.”
Mysteriously, the banjo went missing shortly after Julia Lennon’s death and no-one has set eyes on it since. One thing is certain though, if it did resurface it is estimated to be worth in the region of five million pounds.
“The intrigue and mystery surrounding Lennon’s missing banjo, and the logic that it could be sitting in somebody’s attic right now, has the potential to make headlines around the world. The story crosses over beautifully from fiction to fact and back again to tease and tantalise you into believing every word is true.”
So where do the facts end and the fiction begin? Everything will be revealed in this intriguing, colourful and fast-paced play starring a talented cast of actors.
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