In ‘Looking Through A Glass Onion’, John Waters puts on his best Liverpuddlian accent, takes centre stage, backed by piano maestro Stewart D’Arrietta and the hot Glass Onion Band, (Paul Berton- guitar, Greg Henson-drums, Tony Mitchell-bass), and charts John Lennon’s story through Lennon’s own words and music.

Over 2 hour plus, Waters covers over 30 Lennon songs, some songs in truncated form, others get the full treatment, and Waters fills in the Lennon story in between songs. As well as banging away at the keys, D’Arrietta does a wonderful job impersonating a variety of characters that Lennon encounters on his odyssey.

This is An Evening with show that rocks. Waters’s show, first performed at the Tilbury Hotel in 1992, achieves a vivid portrait of one of rock music’s most iconic figures. The real John Lennon does stand up…above all, and that’s why he was so loved, Lennon was ‘out there’, a straight shooter, calling things the way he saw them, intent on making ‘real life music’. Aided by Waters’s strong delivery, the striking candour, intimacy and intensity of Lennon’s songs shine through. What also comes through strongly is the breadth of his musical legacy and how he successfully straddled so many genres.

A few of my favourite moments from the night…The way the show cuts straight into ‘Sexy Sadie’ after Lennon’s acerbic comments, ‘The Maharishi was just like me, he just wanted to screw as many as women as he could’…Waters’s haunting delivery of one of Lennon’s most painfully honest songs, ‘How can I give love when I don’t know what it is I’m giving? How can I give love when I just don’t know how to give? How can I give love when love is something I ain’t ever had?’

This year, Wednesday 9th December to be exact, marks the 30th anniversary of Lennon’s death. For the first time, John Waters has brought his show to the Sydney Opera House, his first stop on a national tour.

A timely and apt tribute to a unique and great artist, ‘Looking Through A Glass Onion’ opened at the Playhouse theatre on Wednesday 1st December and plays until Sunday 12th December 12, 2010. The national tour is scheduled to finish at the Wrest Point Showroom, Hobart on Saturday 9th April, 2011.