The music of the Beatles gets better and better as time goes on — and the same can be said for Fab Four musical Let It Be.
The celebratory Beatles musical, a fast-paced musical journey from the humble beginnings of the Cavern Club to the giddy hysteria of Shea Stadium and the experimental studio years, is packed with hit after hit.
But then considering the wealth of the Beatles' back catalogue, the difficult decision was probably which songs not to perform.
The jangly pop sounds of the first half, including She Loves You, Help and Please Please Me were deftly performed by musicians Reuven Gershon (John Lennon), Iain Hornal (Paul McCartney) John Brosnan (George Harrison) and Stuart Wilkinson (Ringo Star) soon had the audience singing along.
But it was the second half, a showcase of the magic of the Beatles' later years, that made the show an absolute treat for any superfan.
A beautiful acoustic segment included the understated magic of Blackbird, Here Comes the Sun and In My Life as the four stars perched on stools, proving beneath the giddy showmanship how talented they were.
Another crowd pleaser was the timeless While My Guitar Gently Weeps (which began as an acoustic number before switching to the heavier version half way through).
Then there was the foot-stomping, have-to-sing-along joy of Get Back, Come Together and Revolution.
As a huge Beatles fan, I was concerned at the interval that Let It Be - essentially a tribute act in theatre setting - was running the risk of being a tad twee.
But the second half became less of a stage show and more of a celebration of the Beatles — four musicians having a whale of time playing some of the most iconic music in British history.
The lads were great at playing the Liverpool lads - Iain Hornal had Paul's facial expressions and cheery demeanour down to a fault, and Reuven Gershon captured John's mischievous, edgy humour almost immediately.
It was also great to see Stuart Wilkinson's Ringo with a fag dangling from his mouth at the start of the show, and John Brosnan seemed to effortlessly take on George Harrison's staggering talent as a guitarist, nailing solo after solo.
It wasn't flawless — John and Ringo were both guilty of a couple of bum notes, and Ringo later forgot the words to Yellow Submarine (sending Paul into hysterics).
But it only made them more charming, really. By the end of the show they had the audience in the palm of their hands, up dancing and singing along, crying out for more when they walked off stage.
I love the Beatles. I'm borderline obsessed, and my other half is no better — and Let It Be was a fabulous opportunity to simply enjoy the music that we both adore live.
It' doesn't have a plot, or much dialogue, like other band-themed shows — it simply lays out the hits, the fashion and the camaraderie of one of Britain's most-loved bands. It might have been nice to explore the band's formation and meteoric rise in a theatrical sense, but never mind.
The final sing-along to Hey Jude was euphoric, uniting young and old behind the Fab Four.
Let It Be is at Leeds Grand Theatre until Saturday 16 July
Tickets are priced from £19.50 to £35
Book online at leedsgrandtheatre.com or call Box Office on 0844 848 27 00
