The Blues Brothers are often imitated, but only “The Official Blues Brothers Revue” is sanctioned by Dan Aykroyd and the late John Belushi’s wife, Judy Belushi Pisano. The live concert hits The Honeywell Center stage at 7:30 p.m. April 9. Tickets are $18, $25 and $50 and are available online at honeywellcenter.org Aykroyd played Elwood in the original “Saturday Night Live” skits and movies, while John Belushi – who died March 5, 1982 – was Jake. In the revue, Kieron Lafferty is Elwood and Wayne Catania is Jake. “I’ve always been a fan,” Lafferty said in a telephone interview Monday afternoon. “I’ve always loved their shtick, their humor and the music. They shone a light on music that at the time was pushed aside by the likes of disco.” Though he’s been peforming the show for about four years, he said it’s still intimidating to do. He said they really have to get into these characters and to know them really well to play them, which is a challenge. One can’t just throw on a hat and shades and be a Blues Brother, he said. The original characters were created by Aykroyd and John Belushi in 1978 when they debuted on “Saturday Night Live.” The revue is produced by Pisano and Aykroyd, who handpicked Lafferty and Catania, according to a provided press release. Lafferty said they were working for them at another show when they got a call to audition in Chicago for the revue. They traveled to Chicago and auditioned for the director, Victor Pisano, and some others behind the show. For several hours, Lafferty said they were “pan fried” before getting the roles. They met Aykroyd some time later. The revue is live theater, a live performance and makes use of multi-media, Lafferty said. “It’s about their performance pieces,” he said. The songs are always being changed up as The Blues Brothers had a lot of material, including material people don’t remember. Musical director is Paul Shaffer, from “Late Night With David Letterman.” Lafferty said Shaffer has been really helpful. Lafferty said they get a mixed crowd at their show, from 8- to 80-year-olds, but he really appreciates the Baby Boomers as they know it best. “The Blues Brothers” movie is the kind of movie that dads show to sons and moms to daughters, he said, and it’s still cool, so that helps bring in a variety of people to the show. “These characters definitely come with expectations. It’s always a challenge,” Lafferty said. “There’s lots of audience participation in our show.” Lafferty said they’ve taken the show around the U.S., Canada, Australia and recently New Zealand. It has a huge fan base in Europe. “It’s a funny, funny phenomenal thing,” he said. It was difficult for Lafferty to pinpoint a favorite part of the show, but he said, “There’s always tunes that rev up the night. I just love it when the band is really rocking – that’s a great moment ... when the band’s really hitting its grooves as it should, that’s a great moment.” The six-piece band includes drums, saxophone, bass, guitar, trumpet, organ and piano. As for his character, Lafferty said Elwood is the more straight laced of the two and a man of few words. While Jake always wears his heart on his sleeve, Elwood is more studious. Lafferty grew up in Toronto, and played in the Toronto blues and R&B scene. He said he played there in the early 1980s when New Wave music was big and no one was listening to peformers on harmonicas and R&B. The Great Lakes area blues circuit shrank, but grew back in the late 1980s, he said. “There’s always been a great blues scene in Toronto and it’s always been supported,” Lafferty said. He started acting to supplement his blues music income, so when the opportunity came along for him to combine acting and playing the blues, he took it. Though they can do up to 150 shows a year, the April 9 show at the Honeywell Center will be the first time they’ve played in the area, Lafferty said. “I look forward to meeting the people and taking in the local culture,” he said.
