Lennon’s spirit shines through in ‘Glass Onion’

Except for his convincing Liverpudlian accent, John R. Waters barely looks or sounds anything like the subject of Lennon: Through a Glass Onion. So if you’re expecting a Rain-style re-creation of the former Beatle, you won’t get it at this bare-bones production. Rather, Waters, a 65-year-old Aussie, effectively channels John Lennon’s spirit in his affecting concert-cum-monologue, which comes off best by imagining that Lennon had survived his assassin’s bullets, and is now 74 and performing solo acoustic shows in intimate venues. Waters began performing a version of the show in Sydney 22 years ago, and he’s clearly comfortable in his subject’s skin. Clad in Lennon’s youthful uniform of black leather jacket and black jeans, he performs full or excerpted renditions of 31 songs from Lennon’s solo and Beatles’ catalogs, accompanied by the excellent singer/pianist Stewart D’Arrietta.