Even after Broadway’s “Beatlemania” and the Fab Faux, it still takes some moxie to tackle a stage portrait of a giant like John Lennon. John R. Waters, in “Lennon: Through a Glass Onion,” wisely doesn’t attempt a complete impersonation. There are no glasses or beard or mop top here, just an evocative approximation of the voice and a deeply felt reflection of the man.
The stage is occupied only by a piano (Stewart D’Arrietta accompanies Mr. Waters) and a mike stand. The gray-haired Mr. Waters, in black pants, T-shirt and leather jacket, steps up and describes the New York winter of 1980 and a guy waiting five hours across the street from the Dakota. The lights go dark, five shots are heard, and Mr. Waters, sometimes accompanying himself on guitar, begins a loose account of the singer’s life in the first person.
Well-trod Beatle lore is addressed, including the rivalry with Paul McCartney; the visit to the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi; the breakup; and the resentment of Yoko Ono (“British Anglo-Saxon racism — that’s what it was”).
The song list amply covers the spirited rockers (“Revolution” has a great barrelhouse solo from Mr. D’Arrietta), but many explore the darker depths that so distinguished Lennon from the sunnier Mr. McCartney: “A Day in the Life,” “Glass Onion,” “You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away.” A stark “Working Class Hero” is arresting, while “Help!,” at a slow tempo, underscores the lyrics’ desperation.
The later contentment of the “Double Fantasy” era includes the gratitude of “Woman” and the Asian strains of “Beautiful Boy,” Lennon’s ode to his son Sean. Some of his darkest corners — his early abusive romantic relationships and his heroin use — are avoided. (No “Cold Turkey” here.) His fans won’t mind.
Mr. Waters, a film and TV star in Australia, has been performing “Lennon” since 1992, including runs at the Sydney Opera House and in the West End of London. His and Mr. D’Arrietta’s familiarity with the material is such that they occasionally hasten through the production’s 90 minutes. They should take their time. The plain-spoken and acerbic Lennon comes off as someone you’d have loved to have a beer with. And the Beatle fanatics sure to see this show will want to savor every minute.