The Unity, in fact, where a new play is about to début: Mona & Mimi. Sign up nowThe big story: Mona & Mimi, the unsung heroines of the Beatles' journeyMona & Mimi imagines a meeting between two women who shaped John Lennon and Pete Best, a would-be Beatle. Showing at the Unity Theatre from 3 September, Mona and Mimi imagines a meeting between John Lennon's guardian, Mimi Smith, and Mona Best, mother of one-time Beatles drummer, Pete. Mona owned the Casbah Coffee Club, where The Beatles played some of their first gigs — which is how they met Pete. Catherine Leen: [Mimi] was very much a pre-War type: conservative, wary of change, traditional, and very, very class aware — conscious of people's places in society.

Source: The Times August 18, 2025 14:02 UTC