Beatle-mania comes to Cary this week, as Cary brings the Fab Four to life via stage and screen.
The fun starts with Good Ol’ Freda tonight and Friday at 7 (and again on Sunday at 2), the story of typical teen Freda Kelly, who was hired as a secretary for The Beatles just before they rose to international fame.
Kelly continued her work throughout the band’s existence, and in this film offers amazing stories about her personal interactions with John, Paul, George and Ringo, and the madness that surrounded them all during the 1960s. Rated PG.
Also showing is a screening of A Hard Day’s Night on Thursday at 9 p.m., an exhilarating look of a “typical” 36 hours in the life of The Beatles. Rated G, the film was shot in just six and a half weeks, with a budget of $500,000.
The joke was on United Artists in some ways: The studio rushed the movie during the first worldwide flush of Beatlemania in 1964, setting out to launch the movie before their vogue was over.
Both film showings take place at The Cary Theater, 122 E. Chatham St. Tickets for each are $5, at thecarytheater.com.
In the third installment of Beatles fun, check out Billy McGuigan’s Yesterday and Today: The Interactive Beatles Experience on Friday, April 1 at 7:30 p.m., at the Cary Arts Center, 101 Dry Ave.
A live-request concert experience, the show’s audience gets to pick the set list from more than 200 Beatles’ classics by filling out request cards just prior to the show noting why a particular tune is special.
During the show, Billy, Matthew and Ryan McGuigan pull request cards out of a hat, chat with the audience about the reasons for their requests, and perform The Beatles’ songs note for note as originally recorded.
Tickets are $26 for adults, $24 for seniors 55+, and $88 for a Family & Friend Four Pack. Tickets are available at etix.com.
