February 9th 1964. The Beatles, fresh from their conquests of Britain and Europe, took to the stage on TV’s The Ed Sullivan Show live from New York. North Americans immediately became the next victims of John, Paul, George and Ringo.

Beatlemania had gone global. The Beatles, though a prototypical boy-band when they first started out, ended up being one of the most influential bands of all time. Though the group’s time together as The Beatles didn"t last all that long, their music has lived longer than anyone could have predicted.

They were the cause of a revolution in the history of music.

Following the hugely successful performances of Queen It"s A Kinda Magic in 2008 across the country, Showtime Australia brings you - for the first time in South Africa - the spectacle known as Beatlemania on Tou.

Employing authentic Beatle instruments, amplifiers and costumes, coupled with faithful renditions of everyone’s favorite Beatles classics, the show recreates the spirit of the Fab Four in ways that have audiences raving about them.

Musically, no detail is overlooked to re-create the true sound and excitement of The Beatles, with every song performed totally live and in its original key. Visually, the presentation is as close to the real thing as you can imagine... Close your eyes, could it really be them?

Beatlemania will take you on a nostalgic, romantic and time-honoured musical journey with hits such as Strawberry Fields Forever, Let It Be, She Loves You, Can’t Buy Me Love, Ticket To Ride, Hey Jude, A Hard Day’s Night, Sgt. Pepper "s Lonely Hearts Club Band and many more.

Beatlemania is performed by the globe-trotting The Beatles Experience: Chris Frazer as John Lennon; Cameron Charters as Paul McCartney; Paul Green as George Harrison; and Michael Brady as Ringo Starr. With technical effects as memorable and as lovingly re-created as in Queen It"s A Kinda Magic , this invitation to cross the universe on a magical mystery tour will be one of Joburg’s theatrical events of 2009.

Where and when?

Beatlemania On Tour will be performed on the Nelson Mandela Theatre stage of The Joburg Civic Theatre for a strictly limited season, from Thursday, 22 January until Sunday, 15 February 2009. Shows are at 8pm Wednesdays to Fridays, at 5pm and 8pm on Saturdays and at 2pm and 5pm on Sundays.

Tickets for this strictly limited season are priced from R170 (exclusive of the booking fee) and are available from Computicket. Call 083 915 8000 or go to www.computicket.com.

A 10% discount an all ticket prices is available for groups of ten or more. For these tickets, contact the theatre’s VIP Ticketing on (011) 877 6854.

Media information is available from Claire Clark at [email protected]

What others have said about the show:

"Of all the Beatles Tribute Bands I"ve heard, they"re the best!"
- Mark Johnson, Liverpool Sydney

"What a fantastic night, we"ll certainly come again"
- Glenda Orbit New Zealand.

"I thought I was back in the 60"s, they were fab!"
- Janet Longhorn London Ontario.

"These guys are the best, I’ve seen them four times, every show a sell-out"
- Donna Allen Perth Austrlia

"The best Beatles soundalike-lookalike band I"ve seen. I couldn"t tell the difference"
- Russell Davis Brisbane Austrlia.