By Jeanni Ritchie
Chris Getsla wasn’t around for Beatlemania.
He wasn’t watching when four young men from Liverpool appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show and changed music history.
But by seventh grade, Getsla had discovered the Beatles and picked up a guitar. The 1995 release of The Beatles Anthology further fueled his interest in the band and its history.
A few years later, while still in high school, he decided to bring that music to the stage himself.
Getsla, who portrays Paul McCartney, developed what would become BritBeat while he was a high school student in Illinois. What began with a performance at a high school variety show grew into appearances at festivals, parks and other venues.
Twenty-five years later, he’s still performing.
And BritBeat has become much more than four musicians recreating Beatles songs onstage. It is a full theatrical production, and the Arts Council of Central Louisiana is bringing it to the Cenla stage September 4.
The dynamic production combines live music, period costumes, historical storytelling and synchronized multimedia to take audiences through the evolution of the Beatles.
Getsla said the production moves through six distinct eras, following the Beatles from their early years through the changing music, fashion and culture that defined their career.
Those transitions aren’t represented by costumes alone.
The stage itself becomes part of the storytelling.
Video projections are synchronized with the music, creating changing visual environments as the concert moves through Beatles history. Images and historical elements accompany the songs, turning what could have been a traditional tribute concert into a completely immersive experience.
The current production represents more than 3,000 hours of video production design, with the visual elements built to work alongside the live performance rather than simply provide a backdrop.
For Getsla, authenticity has always mattered.
His portrayal of McCartney includes one detail that can’t simply be learned for the stage: Getsla is naturally left-handed and plays guitar left-handed, just as McCartney does.
The music has required considerably more work.
McCartney’s wide vocal range means moving from softer melodic songs to some of the Beatles’ more demanding vocals, and Getsla’s early years singing first tenor in choir helped prepare him for the role.
BritBeat has evolved considerably since those first high school performances, but the Beatles themselves remain the center of the production.
The show is designed for longtime fans who remember the music firsthand as well as younger generations who discovered the Beatles decades after the band broke up—much like Getsla did himself.
Audiences are encouraged to sing along as the music and visuals carry them through the Beatles’ story, from the excitement of Beatlemania through their increasingly experimental years and final chapters.
It is a story Getsla has now been telling onstage for a quarter of a century.
BritBeat: The Immersive Beatles Experience will be presented Friday, Sept. 4, at 7:30 PM at Coughlin-Saunders Performing Arts Center, 1202 Third Street in Alexandria. Tickets are $30 for general admission, $25 for Arts Council members and $20 for ages 18 and younger. Tickets purchased at the door are $35. For tickets and additional information, visit louisiana-arts.org or call 318-484-4474.
For more information about BritBeat, visit britbeat.com.
Jeanni Ritchie is a contributing journalist from Central Louisiana who encourages local readers to Come Together for the experience. She can be reached at stories@jeanniritchie.com.
