Live & Let Die the Next Best Thing to the Beatles
Since he was eight years old, Tony Kishman knew he wanted to be one of The Beatles. He took a vinyl copy of the song “All My Loving” to Show and Tell at school and performed it while “playing” the broom.
“That was the first time I ever said to myself I’d like to imitate (Paul McCartney) or be him,” said Kishman.
After some twists and turns, Kishman’s dream came true, and he brings his show, “Live and Let Die: A Symphonic Tribute to Paul McCartney” to the Mansfield Theater Wednesday, Sept. 20, backed by the Great Falls Symphony Orchestra.
Kishman began his career as Paul McCartney since the 1970s when he was encouraged by friends to audition for the Broadway show “Beatlemania.” Those who had seen him perform Beatles songs live had often remarked on how much he captured Paul McCartney’s look and voice, so he gave it a shot.
It was the first imitation-style show on Broadway, according to Kishman, who ended up playing McCartney in it for about five years. At one point, he ended up in London, where McCartney himself commended his performance in a public interview.
“Paul said, ‘Well the guy who plays me is a good musician and I wish him well,’” Kishman recalled. “That was a quote that I said, ‘I’m keeping that forever.’”
