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This Girl: The Cynthia Lennon Story

The original cast of This Girl: The Cynthia Lennon Story, including Javier Parisi

In recent years since her death in 2015, there's been a petition for a movie idea featuring the life of Cynthia Lennon. You can check it out here, sign it if you wish. The difficult thing about this idea though is that if there's a movie idea, I want it to be right: as you probably know this from the blog that I am rather protective of John and Cynthia's love story. In my opinion, it has to be done right and not fall into the cliche trap of the general perspective of "got together, got pregnant, John wasn't happy, Cynthia too clingy, loveless marriage, drugs, hello Yoko" deal. I would want someone to hear Cynthia's voice and show for it: show the tenderness, innocence, affection, make their private love story turning into public, the depth, and care. Unfortunately, I have absolutely no connections with the entertainment business. 

Anyway, the good news is that instead of a movie, there is a play. Bad news is that it's only in Liverpool. I am in America and money is tight- I just can't magically get a plane ticket, transportation, hotel, food money, play ticket, and, as it's performing during Beatles International week, souvenirs! As well as buying a new suitcase just for souvenirs. All I could do is find reviews online from those who have seen it and pray for an international tour. Doubtful, but who knows? The playwright is Mike Howl, who is from Liverpool and witnessed John and Cynthia during their dating years as a Cavern regular. 

“I want to get across how important she was in John’s life, and not just because of their son Julian. John used to write to her every single day while he was out in Hamburg, playing in the nightclubs of the Reeperbahn. Her friends told me they saw some of these letters. I do think that without Cynthia’s love, John would have gone completely off the rails. Their relationship helped to keep the Beatles together for as long as they were.”

Mike Howl, 2019

“The key point for me is that they both fell madly in love when she was 18 and he was 17. It was equal on both sides. I was in the Cavern Club a lot as a teenager and saw them there. I was in the right place at the right time, so it has always bothered me that no one has looked at Cynthia’s influence before.”

Mike Howl, 2019

“I was told lots of lovely stories, including how Cynthia went out to Hamburg to visit as a naive teenager. The first half of the play is snapshot moments from their lives together, with some original songs. There is a scene in which John is working on the song You’re Gonna Lose that Girl in their home and Cynthia joins him to sing it. She would have been 80 this year, and I feel she must take her place in the Beatles story now."

Mike Howl, 2019

Mike reached out to Julian and got his approval; he also got support from John and Cynthia's friend, Helen Anderson who was originally going to do the backdrop and costume designs before resigning by August 19, 2019- a few days shy of it's debut- for professional and creative reasons. 

“He said he was pleased someone was finally writing about how talented his mother was, since all the world has written about his father and no one has paid her any attention.”

Mike Howl, 2019

Another blunder was the resignation of the actor playing John Lennon who had spent 3 months in England rehearsing and posing for publicity photos, a great impersonator, Javier Parisi, from Argentina. After being immediately cast for the play (also to mention that he's Julian's favorite 'Dad' impersonator as well as Helen's), he was saddened that John's music and legacy wouldn't be included (probably due to licensing and publishing copyrights) as well as other internal and contract problems and misunderstandings on the same day Helen announced her departure. It's a shame, really, sounding like he spent three months in England to do something but turned out to be for nothing other than learning more about John in his home country. Jordan Barkley also dropped out for unknown reason.

Anyway… This Girl: The Cynthia Lennon Story was held at Hope Street Theatre from August 21 until the 26th.

The cast of This Girl: The Cynthia Lennon Story

Cast:

Cynthia … Christina Rose and Mikyla Jane Durkan

John … originally Javier Parisi … Adam Byrne and Peter Durr

Stuart Sutcliffe … Lew Freeburn

Helen Anderson/Astrid Kirchherr … Florence King

Mimi Smith/Doctor … Karen Sharples

Dot Rhone/Maureen Starkey … Ciara O'Neill

Phyllis Mackenzie … Rachel McGrath

Julian … originally Jordan Barkley … Ginger Lee and Lee Clotworthy

Jonathan Hague … Lee Clotworthy

Lillian Powell … Maggie Green

Paul McCartney … Louis Holmes

Brian Epstein … Mike Sanders

Jim McCartney/Roberto Bassanini … Kevin Thomas

Noel Charles … Addae G.

Play in Park

Cynthia, Julian, Aunt Mater, and cousin Stanley at a local park in Surrey, March of 1967

Photographed by Dorothy Jarlett

Behind Bedroom Doors

Passion. Affection. Kissing, hugging, making love… here we go! The subject was bound to be brought up, right? Yes, it is in the Too Much Information category, but I honestly don't care because 1) it proves they had a sex life as the same with John and Yoko who chose to publicized it. If you don't wanna know, feel free to go on the next post. Their sex life started the same day their relationship began at Stuart Sutcliffe's apartment after a college party that had an after-party at Ye Cracke. After that, John and Cynthia would have sex at every chance they had when opportunity presented itself. According to Cynthia, their first time lasted an hour. In order to be together, Stuart would have to leave- he usually went to his mother's house. I don't know how he could stand sleeping in the same bed afterwards… I just hope he thought of washing his sheets but I have a funny feeling he didn't. One day while Stuart was out, John and Cynthia gleefully took the opportunity to make love but Cynthia crumbled in pain- they quickly got dressed and John literally carried her to the train station to go home and then to the hospital: she had appendix removed. John would sometimes try to convince Cynthia to have quickies in alleyways but instead she stuck to kissing (although I wouldn't be shocked if a quickie or two happened), however they did had sex at the sand dunes with sand going into their clothes. 

"Stuart, when there were too many sleeping in his room, would sometimes come home, which was three miles away. He would also stay with us when John and Cynthia wanted some privacy. He wouldn't call it that obviously, he wouldn't say, 'I'm coming home, Mother, because I'm letting Cynthia and John have my bed.' My mother couldn't have cared less what the reason was, for she was always elated to have Stuart home."

Pauline Sutcliffe, Stuart's sister

In August of 1960 before John went to Hamburg, he was home in Mendips while Mimi went to visit her sister Nanny. He borrowed a camera and invited Cynthia over to take pictures to take with him to Hamburg. Cynthia modeled for him in sexy Brigitte Bardot-like poses. Where are those pictures now? I'm guessing either Julian or Yoko has them. After the photo session, John and Cynthia made love before putting on a fire and raided the refrigerator. Just before Cynthia was about to leave, Mimi called to say she'll be coming in the next day due to fog. John and Cynthia couldn't believe their luck! Cynthia quickly set up her alibi of lying to her mother that she's at Phyllis's house and then they went upstairs to John's single bed to squeeze together until early morning when she left before Mimi's arrival. 

After when Cynthia returned home from Hamburg visiting John in 1961, her mother moved to Canada and so Cynthia moved in with Mimi as a lounger paying rent. Whenever John returned, they couldn't do anything with Mimi around. Despite Cynthia's denials, does anyone besides me think otherwise? I suspect some sneaky lovemaking happened on a rare free opportunity! Mimi got difficult to live with and after living with a relative, Cynthia eventually found her own apartment. A perfect love nest where they could go on uninterrupted or worry about being caught: John and Cynthia finally had a place to be together. He did visit often and the only thing he didn't want was to have next door neighbor Dot Rhone to be walking in on them. 

"I don't like the idea of Dot moving in permanently with you 'cause we could never be alone really- I mean when I come home- can't she have another room or find another flat- imagine having her there all the time when we were in bed- and imagine Paul coming all the time … God I'm knackered it's 6 o'clock in the morning and I want you … I love you Cyn Powell and I wish I was on the way to your flat with the Sunday papers and chocies and a throbber! … I'm dead beat my sweet so I hope you don't mind if I finish now and have a lovely sleep (without you but it'll still be lovely- don't be hurt- but I'm so so so tired)"

John, April of 1962 in a letter to Cynthia while he was in Hamburg

Then, in the Summer of 1962, Cynthia got pregnant. It's a miracle that she didn't get pregnant sooner! They never used protection as it never occurred to them. They got married, moved into a new apartment, and started their new married life together. I don't know if John and Cynthia had sex while she was pregnant but she did confirm that their sex life didn't end there. They had holidays (aka vacations), film locations, and the first American visit. When John was home, he would gift Cynthia 'naughty nighties' and have a private fashion show that would conclude a dance before going to bed. I will later explain the naughty nighties further in another post but let's say it's not exactly the typical lingerie. 

Eventually the sex dried up. Not sure when though- John did tour a lot, spent time in the studio, having a random affair, business meeting, photo session, and so on that it reached the level of leading separate lives under the same roof. They had irregular sleeping hours: after tours, John would sleep up to 3 days and then would stay up late until the sun comes up while Cynthia had the normal going to bed at a reasonable hour to get up early with Julian. The only times Cynthia stayed up late would be at an event, party, or keeping John company during his songwriting. My guess would be around the end of 1966 as John was heavily into LSD; that being said, according to Dot Jarlett's written testimony in the divorce, John's interest in Cynthia started to wane in the Summer of 1967. It could've been a gradual thing. 

"Cynthia was also out a good deal, especially in the evenings, and I soon noticed with surprise how very little time she and John spent in each other's company. In fact such was the irregularity of their respective comings and goings that they had agreed that whoever came home last would sleep in the guest room so as not to disturb the other. The master bedroom, which they normally shared, was actually a vast room on the first floor housing a massive eight-foot double bed and a sunken bath at the far end, and it was here that John loved to lie in till late in the morning."

Pauline Lennon Stone

By the time they were in India, forget it! Nothing! Within a few days of arriving, John got his own bedroom claiming not to be disturbed while meditating. Then he ignored Cynthia 95% of the time. You can see the strain in the photos. But they did managed to have sex in 1968… unfortunate timing as it was near the end of their marriage. It was after John and Yoko first had sex while Cynthia was in Greece and she came home unexpectedly to find them together in the kitchen wearing bathrobes; Cynthia left for 3 days before returning back to her husband. After a long talk, they made love. I suspect for the final time.