Reviewed by Sabrina Fancy
As someone who grew up with a fondness of boybands, I was looking forward to reviewing ‘The Band’, consisting of the music from Take That, the 90’s boy band who continue to have a faithful and increasing fan-base.
Written by Tim Firth of Calendar Girls success, the musical is not actually about The Band, but about a group of girls who bond over their love of the band in their teenage years. This was surprising given the high-profile casting of the five male band singers who competed on the BBC1 2017 talent show ‘Let it shine’. The objective of the show was to find five lads to form a boy band to perform the songs of Take that in this musical!
Against a musical backdrop of Take That songs, this story revolves around Rachel – a sixteen-year-old girl obsessed with ‘The Band’ and her 4 best friends who go to see ‘The Band’ in concert. Fast- forward 25 years when they later they reconnect after Rachel wins a competition to see ‘The Band’ on tour in Prague with a hope of meeting the band members. The story focusses on friendships as well.
The musical’s five male singers and dancers, weave in and out of this show’s story and have incredible vocals and dance moves. Band members AJ Bentley, Nick Carsberg, Curtis T Johns, Yazdan Qafouri and Sario Soloman, slot into their roles effortless and are magnetic on stage. Apparently, Gary Barlow agrees, as he was the head judge who was responsible for the selection of these band members.
There were so many things to love about this production, starting from the amazing casting, the incredible musical score. The set was incredible with impressive projections – there is a lot going on and this contributed to my engrossment.
Take That songs were authentically performed, and all flowed perfectly with the story. For example, when the hit ‘Back for Good’ it took on a new meaning when the adult selves were telling their younger selves that they wanted them back.
The female cast members were very strong, not afraid to laugh at themselves with excellent comedic timing. They were brilliant in portraying what life was like as a teenage girl in the 90’s and it felt very nostalgic when ‘Smash Hits’ and ‘Top of the Pops’ were referenced. I initially thought that this musical would be a replicate of Take That but it was more about the boyband phenomenon. The girls warmly portrayed what it’s like to be a music fan!
At the end of the story, all of the audience members were on their feet, singing and dancing along to popular take that tunes. I noted quite a few of them singing throughout as well! You do not have to be a Take That fan to enjoy this, but you would be mad to miss this if you are. There are a few extras thrown in which delighted me. I left the show feeling uplifted and with a smile on my face.
For this reason, I have given this 5 stars!
The New Wimbledon Theatre is stunning and very spacious, conveniently located less than a 5- minute walk from Wimbledon Overground/Underground station with plenty to do in the area. Theatre prices are significantly lower than productions in the West End and are of equal calibre.
Rating: 5/5
Tickets cost from £15 to £49.50 (plus £3.65 transaction fee).
The Band is at the New Wimbledon Theatre from 23-27 October 2018, for more information or to book tickets visit www.atgtickets.com/new-wimbledon-theatre or call the box office on 0844 871 7646.
New Wimbledon Theatre, The Broadway, Wimbledon, London, SW19 1QG | 0844 871 7646
