Homecoming for Macca

Macca: The Concert will come to Blackpool Grand Theatre tomorrow night and it's home sweet home for one of its cast.
Macca: The ConcertMacca: The Concert
Macca: The Concert

Jill Schoonjans produces the show and also plays Linda McCartney in the production, which celebrates the music of Sir Paul McCartney.

In the past, Jill has spent many a summer season in the resort as a backing singer to local legend Joe Longthorne and she’s now looking forward to bringing the show home for her family, who live in Rossall.

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She told The Gazette: “My mum and dad have lived up there for 20 years. I grew up in Manchester but we’ve always had family in Blackpool. I’ve got a lot of friends in that area as well so it’s great to be bringing the show there.

“I love Blackpool and I especially love the Grand Theatre, I think it’s one of the most beautiful theatres in the country. I’ve played there many times and it’s always been a great night so it’s absolutely thrilling to be bringing the show to Blackpool.

“I know Blackpool audiences are crazy so it’s going to be a great night.”

Macca is a concert celebrating the post-Beatles career of Sir Paul McCartney from 1970 to the present day.

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It also focuses on his time with Wings, in particular their 1975-76 ‘Wings over the World Tour’.

The Beatles songs featured will be performed in the style of Paul McCartney on his own solo tours.

The show features the acclaimed cast of West End show ‘Let It Be’, including Emanuele Angeletti as ‘Macca’ himself.

Jill explained how she came to the decision to cast Emanuele.

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She said: “We saw that show and I thought ‘he’s the only one that does Paul McCartney justice’. He sounds like him, he looks like him, he has the mannerisms, he plays left-handed bass, he plays the piano. He’s just the whole package.”

Jill will be taking on the role of Paul’s late wife and Wings bandmate Linda in the show, but are there any similarities between the two?

She laughed: “She was a very famous vegetarian and I’m a vegan so all the cast have been joking, saying ‘you’re taking this method acting too far!’ It’s coincidental but it’s quite funny, I’ve been threatening that we’ll make everybody backstage vegetarian, like she did.”

Tickets are priced at £25. To book, visit blackpoolgrand.co.uk or call 01253 290111.