BACKBEAT Opens at the Ahmanson This Wednesday

The U.S. premiere of "Backbeat" opens this Wednesday, January 30 at 8 p.m. at the Center Theatre Group/Ahmanson Theatre. The dramatic new play with music about the birth of one of the greatest rock 'n' roll bands in history, the Beatles, continues through March 1, 2013. (Preview performances began on January 20.)

Featuring the all-time rock 'n' roll classics that the Beatles cut their teeth on - "Money," "Long Tall Sally," "Twist and Shout," "Good Golly Miss Molly," "Please Mr. Postman," "Rock 'n' Roll Music" and more, "Backbeat" is set in 1960 whenJohn Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Pete Best (the drummer before Ringo Starr joined the group) and Stuart Sutcliffe (the band's original bassist) embarked on their journey from the docks of Liverpool to the red light district of Hamburg.

There they worked in the clubs of the tawdry Reeperbahn, performing rock 'n' roll covers night after night, all the while honing what would become the Beatles' sound.