In 1964, the Beatles led the British invasion of America and an army of musical Brits continued to conquer this side of the pond thereafter.

That’s the background of the show  The British Invasion Musical Revue, at Stage West Theatre Restaurant in Mississagua until Feb. 8.

In the show, Vancouver-based actor Josh Epstein, 28, portrays 10 different singers, including John Lennon, from the early days of the Beatles to the Sergeant Pepper years, and Elton John. As Elton John, Epstein sings a medley of six songs near the end of the show.

Epstein previously performed in The British Invasion at the Charlottetown Festival in Prince Edward Island. “British Invasion is the first rock show that I have ever done,” he says. “A lot of this music I didn’t know before. I approached it as more of an actor. I got the material, researched it and tried to figure it out.

“We have a big Hollies set, that is probably one of my favourite parts, because it is five guys singing in complex five-part harmonies. They were incredible – the music ranged from traditional five-part harmonies to rock songs.”

The musical, written by Stage West executive producer Howard Pechet and  Nevin Grant, a former program director of the Hamilton oldies radio station CKOC, was first produced at Stage West in 2003. Many of the original cast have returned, including Terry Hatty – who replaced Burton Cummings as lead singer of the Guess Who.

“These are 11 of some of the best singers in the country [in the show]. I remember the first time I heard Terry singing and I was just in shock. I think everybody is in shock the first time they hear him – you just don’t hear a voice like that anywhere I’ve ever been,” says Epstein.

A University of British Columbia commerce grad, Epstein is also a graduate of Studio 58, a theatre school in Vancouver. Nominated twice for Jessie Awards – Vancouver theatre awards – for acting, he has spent the last few years crisscrossing the country. His theatre credits include The Producers in Vancouver, Little Shop of Horrors at Stage West Calgary, three seasons with the Vancouver Shakespeare company Bard on the  Beach and Mirvish Productions’ Lord of the Rings in Toronto.

Epstein is an award-winning playwright who recently produced the hit musical EDGES in Vancouver. After his run at Stage West, Epstein will be part of the Vancouver-based Electric Company’s tour of the play Studies in Motion, about late 1800s photographer Eadweard Muybridge. He is also co-writing a new TV series called Folley.

Epstein wrote and acted in What I Like About Jew, which he hopes to tour with and take to a festival in England.

“It is about one person’s struggle between family, religion and love, and the pressures of having to marry Jewish in today’s modern society, where it is not as easy to marry Jewish as it was,” Epstein says. “I performed it in Charlottetown.” It was voted the best one-man play of 2007 by the Charlottetown Guardian.

Epstein’s father, Mike, was a founding member of Shaarey Tefilah Synagogue in Vancouver, where Epstein had his bar mitzvah. He has strong ties to the Jewish community and to Israel – he’s been there twice.  He plans to write more plays drawing on his Jewish life experiences.

No stranger to TV and film, Epstein  appeared in the movie Hairspray. He also loves music – he plays saxophone and a bit of piano – and on his nights off you can find him checking out live music and the arts in Toronto.

For tickets to The British Invasion at Stage West, book online at www.stagewest.com or call 905-238-0042 or 1-800-263-0684.

Josh Epstein’s website is at www.joshepsteinonline.com.