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The untold story of Mona and Mimi — and The Beatles connection

The Beatles arrive at JFK (United Press International, photographer unknown Public domain)

A POWERFUL new stage play imagining an untold chapter in Beatles folklore will premiere in Liverpool this September, bringing two formidable Irish-connected women centre stage.

The writer — Catherine Leen

Mona & Mimi, written by Dublin/Kerry playwright Catherine Leen, explores a fictional meeting between Mona Best, mother of Beatles drummer Pete Best, and Mimi Smith, the stern aunt who raised John Lennon. Set in December 1961—just before the band signed their first major recording contract—the play finds the women clashing over music, morality and motherhood, but slowly discovering unexpected common ground.

With echoes of a changing Britain, the 70-minute drama unfolds “between the end of the Chatterley ban and the Beatles’ first LP,” capturing the tension and possibility of a world on the brink of cultural revolution.

Directed by Nick Bagnall (Shakespeare’s Globe, Everyman & Playhouse), the production stars Fiona Boylan (Line of Duty, Coronation Street) as the unconventional, entrepreneurial Mona, and Meriel Scholfield (The Young Vic, Last Tango in Halifax) as the formidable and uncompromising Mimi. Noah Fox (Casualty) also features as Neil.

Playwright Catherine Leen, who is based in Liverpool and volunteers with the Liverpool Irish Festival, says the play is a tribute to “sacrifice, resilience, and the hidden influence of women behind the scenes of history’s biggest cultural shifts.” She previously worked on the podcast There’s a Lot I Haven’t Asked and is a member of the Creative Collective of the Irish Diaspora (CCEN).

Fiona Boylan (Mona)

Mona Best
Mona Best was the fiercely independent mother of Pete Best, the Beatles’ original drummer. Born in Delhi to an Irish father and English mother, she was the youngest of four siblings, the youngest of four children: Brian, Patrick and Aileen. She later settled in Liverpool, where she opened The Casbah Coffee Club in the cellar of her home—an iconic early venue for the Beatles. Mona was ambitious, unconventional, and deeply invested in her son’s musical career. She often acted as an informal manager, providing rehearsal space, bookings, and encouragement. Though sometimes sidelined in official histories, Mona played a crucial role in shaping the Merseybeat scene and nurturing the band that would become the Beatles.

Meriel Scholfield (Mimi)

Mimi Smith
Mary Elizabeth “Mimi” Smith was the formidable aunt and legal guardian of John Lennon. A nurse by profession, she raised Lennon in the genteel surroundings of Mendips on Menlove Avenue, believing in discipline, education, and proper standards. She had distant Irish roots as well, in Omagh Co. Tyrone.

Dismissive of rock’n’roll and wary of John’s musical ambitions, she once famously told him, “The guitar’s all right, John, but you’ll never make a living at it.” Yet despite her strictness, she remained a constant, anchoring presence in his life. Mimi’s influence—protective, controlling, and deeply rooted in middle-class propriety—left an indelible mark on Lennon’s personality and early worldview.