"The very first tune I ever learned to play was 'That'll Be The Day'. My
mother Julia taught it to me on the banjo, sitting there with endless
patience until I managed to work out all the chords."
JOHN LENNON
A NEW PLAY TO PREMIERE AT THE EPSTEIN THEATRE ABOUT JOHN LENNON'S MISSING
BANJO - THE GREATEST MYSTERY IN POP MUSIC
From the writer of the stage play adaptation of Helen Forrester's 'Twopence
to Cross the Mersey' comes a brand-new comedy about the disappearance of
Lennon's first musical instrument.
The play is based on the 2012 novel 'Julia's Banjo' by Rob Fennah and Helen
A Jones and will mark the 60th anniversary of Julia Lennon's death and the
disappearance of the banjo she taught her son to play.
Produced by Pulse Records Ltd in association with Bill Elms, Lennon's Banjo
will open at Liverpool's Epstein Theatre on Tuesday 24th April 2018 for a
two-week run until Saturday 5th May. Full cast and creative team to be
announced soon.
Set in present day Liverpool: When Beatles tour guide Barry Seddon finds a
letter written by John Lennon he unearths a clue to the 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 Texan dealer, Travis Lawson, to the priceless relic. In an attempt to
get his hands on the letter and the clues within he persuades his beautiful
wife, Cheryl, to befriend the hapless tour guide and win his affections. The
race for the holy grail of pop memorabilia is on!
"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 the reader that every
word is true."
Trinity Mirror book review
So where do the facts end and the fiction begin? Everything will be revealed
in this fast paced, comic caper, multi-media play.
Stage writer and Co-producer Rob Fennah said: "The banjo has been described
as the holy grail of pop memorabilia - and for good reason. Without it,
there wouldn't have been a Beatles and, without them, everything we know
today would be different. Given that a piano John once owned went under the
hammer at Sotheby's in 2000 for 1.5 million pounds, it's reasonable to
assume the banjo, the first instrument the greatest rock and roll legend
ever learned to play, would be worth millions more. As a Beatles fan, I
knew all about Julia and how she taught John to play banjo but, what I
didn't know, until a dealer at a Beatles convention told me, was that the
banjo, the catalyst that changed the world, went missing shortly after Julia
Lennon died in 1958. It's the most fascinating tale in pop history and I
honestly believe it's out there somewhere just waiting to be found."
Co-producer Bill Elms added: "The story is so true to life that the audience
will leave the theatre secretly wanting to solve the mystery for themselves.
It's The Beatles meet the Da Vinci Code, an hilarious treasure hunt romp
through Beatledom."
Missing for 60 years. The holy grail of pop is now worth millions to whoever
finds it!
Watch the Promo Video here
https://youtu.be/ddpVnRStAmo
For more info visit
www.lennonsbanjo.com