Modesto High musicians to join touring Beatles show in Lodi

John, Paul, George and Ringo, along with Faith, James, Sasha and Alex, will perform Saturday at the Hutchins Street Square Theatre in Lodi.

The touring show “In My Life – A Musical Theatre Tribute to The Beatles” is the telling of The Beatles’ story through the eyes of manager Brian Epstein and featuring the live music of renowned tribute band Abbey Road. The band features Chris Paul Overall (Paul), Nathaniel Bott (John), Jesse Wilder (George) and Axel Clarke (Ringo).

The show commonly uses a local quartet to augment the production while on tour. “We look for talented ensembles who can hold their own with a rock band in front of an audience,” said “In My Life” producer Andy Nagle in a news release.

For the Lodi show, the Modesto High School string quartet will join the professional actors and musicians on stage to add an element of orchestral texture to the evening. Students Faith Tsai (violin), James Estreba (violin), Sasha Edward (viola) and Alex Hunn (cello) will join Abbey Road for the songs “Eleanor Rigby,” “Yesterday,” “A Day in the Life,” “Hello Goodbye,” and “Hey Jude.” In a special touch, “Yesterday” is played as a scene in which Paul McCartney plays the song for the first time for Beatles producer George Martin, with the songwriter explaining that he envisioned a string-quartet accompaniment.

The Modesto High quartet was brought on board when the show’s producers contacted Matt Cover, the school’s instrumental music director. Cover, himself a graduate of Modesto High School, has degrees in performance, music education and conducting from Modesto Junior College; California State University, East Bay; and the University of Michigan.

This is not the first time a local high school string quartet has performed with “In My Life.” Last month and the year before, a Gregori High group played with the show when it came to the Art Kamangar Center at the Merced Theatre.

“In My Life” includes multimedia, period costumes and vintage instruments. It has toured for years, with a critic for the Orange County Register at one point declaring, “If you see one tribute show, see this one – smart and loads of fun.”

Showtime Saturday is 7:30p.m. at the Hutchins Street Square Theatre, 125 S. Hutchins St., Lodi. Tickets are $15.50 to $39 and may be purchased online at www.hutchinsstreetsquare.com, by phone at (209)333-5550 or (209)333-6782, or in person at the box office.

This story was originally published November 12, 2014 at 12:30 PM with the headline "Modesto High musicians to join touring Beatles show in Lodi."