No wonder he chose a different stage name.
Once my wife and I were at a movie about time travel and someone (in the movie) asked, "Who the president in xxxx? The other character answered, "Richard Starkey". My wife and I burst out laughing because we seemed to be the only people in the theater who realized that was Ringo Starr's original name.
You must realize that the fellow theater goers might be just as ignorant about other facts or factoids about history and cultural, political issues.