The Reviews are in for Please Please Me

Please Please Me is the story of The Beatles’ meteoric rise and the hidden struggles of their beloved manager – the unsung, gay legend and ‘Fifth Beatle’, Brian Epstein.

Written by Tom Wright, and directed by Amit Sharma, it is currently on stage at the Kiln Theatre, Kilburn, until Sat 23rd May 2026.

The reviews are in:

Tom Wright’s play explores how the Fab Four, and a rumoured affair with John Lennon, helped shape the manager’s tragically short life." ★★★★ (The Guardian).

"Kiln artistic director Amit Sharma’s staging is fluent and funny, deftly showing that the seismic social changes rippling through Lennon and Epstein’s relationship." ★★★ (The Independent).

"Epstein, like the rest of us, might get frustrated by Please Please Me, because there’s not a note of Beatles music in it. Instead scene changes groove to bland period pastiches by the usually excellent David Shrubsole. No doubt licensing issues make the real thing unaffordable, but that absence helps to make this all about as convincing as the hippy wigs they used to sell at Woolworths." ★★ (The Times). 

"Without the songs that would blaze through the pop world and propel The Beatles to hyper-fame, it’s a curious affair: a great idea hampered by a script that tries to cover too much and ends up never quite getting close enough to the issues it explores." ★★ (Financial Times).

"A sparky performance by Eleanor Worthington-Cox as Cilla Black – the Cavern Club’s “cloakroom superstar”, possessed of weapons-grade self-belief - and an impressive stage debut by Noah Ritter as the cynical, manipulative John lift things somewhat." ★★ (The Standard).

"Yet despite the occasional moments of chemistry in the cast, this is only a partly told story, one of those shows which, the more you think about it, the less satisfying it feels."  ★★ (The Arts Desk). 

"It all feels both superficial and artificial: a fantasia of music history that could hardly feel much further from rock’n’roll." ★★ (The Stage).

"Nevertheless, this is a compelling piece of music history and well worth it if you’re a fan of the band." ★★★ (Time Out). 

Overall: ★★½

• Kiln Theatre, London
• Ends 23 May 2026.

• Tickets & More Info