This Girl tells the powerful and often overlooked story of Cynthia Powell, a shy, talented art student from Hoylake whose life was changed forever when she met a young musician named John Lennon at Liverpool Art College in 1957. Cynthia would go on to become Cynthia Lennon: John's first wife, and the mother of their son Julian. Yet despite her central role in one of the most famous stories in modern history, Cynthia's voice has remained largely unheard, until now.
Writer Mike Howl has carried out the most extensive research ever into Cynthia's life, including face-to-face interviews with her closest friends and even surviving members of the very classroom where Cynthia and John first met as teenagers. Much of the play is told through the eyes and ears of those who knew her best, uncovering previously unknown stories and unpublished material that bring Cynthia's world vividly to life.
At its heart, 'This Girl' is a love story, and a heartbreak story. It charts Cynthia's emotional journey before, during, and after Beatlemania. From first love and young hope, to sudden motherhood, a rushed and turbulent marriage, and the painful reality of living in the shadow of a global icon.
As John's fame rises and his world becomes increasingly chaotic, marked by infidelity, mysticism, mind-altering drugs, and ultimately his relationship with Yoko Ono.
Cynthia fights to hold herself and her family together. In 1968, after years of betrayal, their marriage ends in divorce.
Cynthia died in 2015, perhaps never fully escaping the label of being simply "John Lennon's first wife." 'This Girl' finally gives her the space she never had, telling her story with honesty, warmth, and humanity.
Featuring original songs and music arrangements by Julian Lennon, BBC Radio Merseyside's Frankie Connor, Billy Kinsley of The Merseybeats, and Alan Crowley, This Girl is a moving musical play that shines a long-overdue spotlight on the woman at the heart of it all.
Event Venue
Capstone Theatre, Liverpool Hope University Creative Campus 17 Shaw Street,Liverpool, United Kingdom
Tickets
Concerts, fests, parties, meetups - all the happenings, one place.
