Sir George Martin was a highly respected classical record producer before working his audio wizardry with four Liverpool lads named John, Paul, George and Ringo.

Imagine what they might have accomplished musically if The Beatles' recording career had survived more than a mere seven years (1963-1970).

With Martin at their side, their pop/rock genius likely would have collided with the producer's passion for symphonic sound. After all, Paul McCartney has done some amazing solo classical work.

What the Fab Four failed to achieve comes to us this week thanks to a California dreamer named Jim Owen, who in 1996 dared to ponder "What if ..."

"It took about six months to go from the idea of doing a show like this to bringing it to the stage for the fist time," said the creator of "The Classical Mystery Tour," which tastefully and successfully blends pop with pomp.

An admitted obsessive Beatles fan who discovered the group four years after they broke up, Owen began professionally performing as "John Lennon" in Beatle tribute groups at age 16, eventually becoming a cast member of the world famous "Beatlemania."

The critically acclaimed "Beatlemania" debuted on Broadway in 1977 and spawned several touring companies before legal issues with the Beatles' Apple Corp. caused the production to close down around 1983.

"Classical Mystery Tour" is a unique twist to the Beatles tribute game, in that it teams up eight of the world's finest faux Fabs with America's finest symphony orchestras.

"We have two of each Beatle," said Owen of his talent stable composed only of former "Beatlemania" cast members. "I'm sorry to say that I won't be at the show in Merrillville, but you will have David Leon, who played John Lennon (on Broadway) and also in the film version of 'Beatlemania.'"

Joining Leon at the Star Plaza during a performance with the Northwest Indiana Symphony Orchestra will be Joey Curatolo as "Paul McCartney," Chris Camilleri as "Ringo Starr" and Tom Teeley as "George Harrison." Teeley was the original "George" who opened on Broadway and also the "George" who appeared in the "Beatlemania" film alongside Leon's "Lennon."

Born in 1966, Owen discovered The Beatles late because he was focused on classical music lessons as a child. He agrees with those who view Lennon and McCartney as the Beethoven and Bach of the 20th century.

NISO maestro Kirk Muspratt would not go quite so far in agreement, but he also is a lifelong Beatles fan.

Muspratt once starred as the bespectacled "John" in a childhood group that played painted cardboard instrument cutouts and would lip sync to a record player hidden behind the "drums," and he later performed Beatles tunes in a real band during his teenage rock 'n' roll years while growing up the tiny Canadian village of Crowsnest Pass.

"We faked the tunes, but we had practiced all the moves and knew all the words (to lip-sync), so it was a pretty good show. We charged 10 cents, and we were a big hit with the girls," Muspratt recalled.

"While I would not rank the Beatles with geniuses like Beethoven and Bach, I would say that they are unlike any other rock group that I can think of in the richness of their material, in the growth of their work over the years, in their appeal to people all over the world and in their lasting gift to us," Muspratt said.

"The Beatles are a central part of so many lives. These songs hold special meaning to people, and they will hear them performed beautifully and in a way they have never heard them performed before."

Muspratt knows this will be "a single ticket event" for some people, meaning that while a person might never consider buying a ticket to see the NISO perform a Mozart program or run through a Big Band songbook, they will come to hear his fantastic orchestra perform with a critically acclaimed live Beatles rock band.

The maestro hopes getting these first timers into the seats to check out the Beatles show might bring them back for future NISO Pops performances.

"We'll start with the pop stuff they did in the mid-1960s (opening with the brassy "Got To Get You Into My Life") and then move pretty quickly into the ‘Sgt. Pepper' psychedelic era, complete with a costume change during the first half of the performance," Owen said.

Owen said that while every song is a beloved classic, some that get the biggest rise out of audiences are "I Am The Walrus," "Eleanor Rigby," "Strawberry Fields Forever," "The Long And Winding Road" and, of course, "Magical Mystery Tour."

"The Classical Mystery Tour/A Beatles Escape"

Northwest Indiana Symphony Orchestra

When: April 19 at 7:30 p.m.

Where: Star Plaza Theatre, I-65 and U.S. 30, Merrillville

Cost: Range from $25 to $65 ($10 student tickets with I.D. at door only night of show)

FYI: (219) 836-0525 or www.NISOrchestra.org

CONTEST BREAKOUT:

Hey Beatles fans! The Times wants to send YOU and a guest to see the band American English recreate the music and magic of The Beatles at its April 21 concert at On The Square Sports Academy, 105 N. Court St. in Crown Point.

American English is acclaimed worldwide by many famous folks who knew and worked with the Beatles. Learn more about this famous tribute band inside today's "On The Go" by turning to page ??? and reading Tom Lounges' feature about the band and its amazing career.

Correctly answer the following five Beatles trivia questions, and you might win. All correctly answered entries received by Thursday, April 19, will be put into a random raffle and FOUR lucky Times readers will win a pair of tickets to see American English live in Crown Point.

Include your full name and phone number, and send your answers to Crista Zivanovic, c/o The Times, 601 45th Ave., Munster, IN 46321.

1) What was the name of the band's original bass player during their early Silver Beatles period who died of a brain hemorrhage shortly after he left the band in 1961 following the group's first round of Hamburg, Germany, concerts.

2) Name the original Beatles drummer who was fired from the band and replaced by former Rory Storm & The Hurricanes drummer Richard Starkey aka Ringo Starr?

3) The famous Beatles song "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds" was inspired by a colorful childhood drawing by which child of which Beatles member?

4) Which Beatle was rumored to be "dead"?

5) What famous rock star and former best friend of George Harrison, had an affair with Harrison's wife Patti Boyd Harrison and stole her away?

SUPER BONUS QUESTION:

The most recorded song of all time is the Paul McCartney-composed tune, "Yesterday." What was the original title he had for that song?