A John Lennon film screening was shown in Twickenham on what would have been his 82nd birthday on Sunday.
Imagine: John Lennon contains archival footage and narration to give an account of ‘a day in the life’ of the iconic musician.
The film includes previously unheard music such as an acoustic demo of Real Love recorded in 1979 and a rehearsal take of Imagine recorded in the middle of 1971 before the final take was recorded.
Writer and Lennon biographer Ray Connolly was at the screening in the Exchange which was led by BBC Radio London’s Gary Crowley who held a Q&A.
When talking about the Twickenham Exchange, Connolly said: “It’s a terrific theatre.
“If I lived there, I’d want to go to more productions in that little theatre.”
Connolly had a close working relationship with Lennon and is well-known for his book ‘Being John Lennon – A Restless Life’ and other publications.
When asked about what Lennon would be like in his 82nd year, Connolly said that Lennon would love for peace in Ukraine and he would worry about the ever growing climate change.
Born 9 October 1940 in Liverpool, Lennon was the son of Julia and Alfred.
He created his own skiffle group in September 1956, aged 15, and called it the Quarrymen, named after his high school – Quarry Bank High School.
In early 1960 The Beatles was formed and has since influenced music forever.
During his life, Lennon had two sons Julian with his then wife Cynthia and Sean with his late wife and widow multimedia artist Yoko Ono.
Lennon was assassinated 8 December 1980 in New York by Mark David Chapman.
The Exchange is managed by St Mary’s University and was opened in October 2017.
The theatre holds 320 seats and offers a mix of student and professional productions.
Featured image credit: Chloe Chenery
