Review: PLEASE PLEASE ME at Kiln Theatre

Stuart King 24 April, 2026, 11:14

The name Epstein has occupied far more columns inches than anyone would have preferred over the past couple of years. Back in a more innocent time, an altogether different Epstein, a shy, gay, Jewish son of a vinyl record store owner, just wanted to be loved, but instead would settle for second best and become the manager of the greatest pop band the world has ever known, led by the object of his romantic desire, John Lennon.

Calam Lynch and Noah Ritter in Please Please Me. Photo by Mark Senior.

In PLEASE PLEASE ME, which opened last evening at the Kiln Theatre (Kilburn), writer Tom Wright tells the story of Brian Epstein, one time manager of The Beatles who after a visit to the Cavern Club in November 1961, signed the Liverpudlian lads to a representation deal and within the space of 6 months had secured for them a recording contract with EMI. There followed an almighty buzz which gained national TV coverage, huge media interest in the USA and subsequently, global domination — despite Lennon once committing professional suicide by declaring that the band was more popular than Jesus.

Eptein’s unfortunate sexual predilections and devotion to (or obsession for) John Lennon, form the central tenet of the play which focuses on his transition from uptight, besuited music fan and businessman, to sixties Svengali who juggled management of the band and Cavern Club coat check girl Cilla Black’s burgeoning career. Embracing the darker side of rock’n’roll Epstein placated his inner guilt and demons through abuse of drugs, alcohol and sexual promiscuity, resulting in the death of the fifth Beatle aged just 32.

Eschewing over-sentimentality, the show sometimes feels a little like a production line of vignettes interspersed with filler choreography as cabinets, sofas, beds and various other set furniture is swirled and positioned. As Epstein, Calam Lynch plays the central figure as sympathetic, overworked and under appreciated, in a performance requiring him to remain on stage for most of the play, sliding in and out of clothing as other cast members dash about him on Tom Piper’s busy and engaging set.

Making his professional stage debut as Lennon, Noah Ritter encapsulates much of the musicians laconic swagger, but it is the bedroom scene which ends the first half that is most contentious. In April 1963 while the other band members holidayed in Tenerife, Epstein and Lennon travelled to Barcelona and on to Torremolinos where it is suggested that they not only shared a hotel room, but a bed. Lennon himself always asserted that although they were close and intense that their relationship had never been sexually consummated, but still the rumours circulated at the time and here they give rise to a scene in which Lennon is not only open to the idea, but insistent and eager to experiment.

Directed by Amit Sharma, good use is made of William Robinson and Arthur Wilson who play an array of essential supporting parts, but it is Eleanor Worthington-Cox’s stints (as Aunt Mimi, Cynthia Lennon and most of all Cilla Black) who packs the greatest punch. She imbues each character with feminine wiles, vulnerability and likability as required, and is the only person who gets to deliver a few bars of a song.

For all its minor faults, and a couple of major ones — namely the assertion of unsubstantiated speculation as fact and most noticeably, the lack of musical numbers — I was won over by the spectacle and period feel and found myself enjoying what is in many respects a flawed play. For all that, PLEASE PLEASE ME certainly parades a good deal of heart and effort, wrapped neatly in a compelling dose of nostalgia. With a few key re-writes, there’s something of substance here.

The show continues at Kiln Theatre until 29th May and plays 2 hours with an interval.