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Show: The Band
Society: New Wimbledon Theatre (professional)
Venue: New Wimbledon Theatre
Credits: By Tim Firth, with the music of Take That. Produced by David Pugh & Dafydd Rogers and Gary Barlow, Howard Donald, Mark Owen, Robbie Williams
Type: Sardines
Author: Paul Johnson
Performance Date: 23/10/2018
The Band
Paul Johnson | 24 Oct 2018 15:00pm
LtoR: Jayne McKenna as Zoe, Rachel Lumberg as Rachel, Emily Joyce as Heather & Alison Fitzjohn as Claire, with Five To Five as The Band in The Band. Photo: Matt Crockett
At Sardines we’ve covered all the hype surrounding the ‘Take That’ musical, The Band – even interviewing three of the show’s stars, Rachel Lumberg, Faye Christall and Yazdan Qafouri in the process – but it’s taken us over a year until the show’s current London dates at New Wimbledon Theatre to see what all the fuss is about. And my goodness, the combination of Tim Firth’s writing and Take That’s music is simply divine!
Make no mistake, this is a big show, and it’s about to enjoy Christmas in London’s West End as it takes over from Heathers the Musical at Theatre Royal Haymarket (1st Dec – 12th Jan). I can’t think of a more deserving production for a London run this December as this one that champions friendship, inclusivity and the music of the 1990s.
In addition to Mr Firth and the show’s producers –including all five members of Take That – full credit has to go to Kim Gavin and Jack Ryder’s direction. You would fully expect the original cast to be super slick by now but, even with that in mind, the way the characters have been developed to seamlessly interact with each other in such a naturalistic and funny way is a joy to behold.
Firth’s writing is so good that, unlike the majority of musicals where most of the dialogue is merely inserted to bridge the gap with the next song, the audience cannot help but invest in the characters and storyline. And that’s saying something when your auditorium is packed with thirty-something females (and dragged-along family members) on a mid-90s nostalgia trip to the theatre.
Nostalgia is actually central to the whole show. Rachel (Faye Christall) and her four friends are a typical bunch of school girls who have the kind of hilarious chemistry synonymous with living in the north. The one bond that all five have is their devotion to a boy band, commonly known as ‘The Band’. The band themselves – cast from Gary Barlow’s high-profile Saturday night televised audition process – feature throughout in the minds of Rachel and her friends. Always there, reliable.
When tragedy strikes, the friends part until – 25 years later – Rachel wins tickets to the band’s reunion tour and she decides to get back in touch with the others. Cue a new, older and equally hilarious cast led by Rachel Lumberg as her mature namesake. The fact that the leading characters are now the same age as 95% of the audience is a clever move.
Realities are faced, diversities uncovered, relationships scrutinised and dreams explained… all with Firth’s humour. And the band is still there, all the while demonstrating just how good Take That’s music is. So many songs, and just when you think they’ve covered them all another gem is introduced by John Donovan’s brilliant five-piece onstage band. Highlights include Shine, Everything Changes, A Million Love Songs, Back for Good, Patience, Greatest Day, Never Forget, Pray and Rule the World.
Jon Bausor’s multi-level, multi-functional and clever design adds to the overall experience and changes from a huge splattering of photographs, to a bus, to a full-size aeroplane. All together, the show is a two-hour feast of fun, emotion, music and nostalgia… and the pre-show giant television displaying pages from the BBC’s defunct 1993 Ceefax service is inspired.
The Band is playing at New Wimbledon Theatre until Saturday, 27th October, at the Theatre Royal Haymarket from 1st December – 12th January… after which it will be continuing on its UK tour.
More at: www.thebandmusical.com
www.atgtickets.com/shows/the-band/new-wimbledon-theatre
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- : 23/10/2018