Manchester Palace Theatre – until Saturday 27 May 2023
5*****
The name has changed, the set has changed and the giant ceefax has gone, but what remains is perfection
Words can not really say just how good this show is. Written by Tim Firth and produced by Adam Kenwright – The Band is now Greatest Days, the official Take That musical.
Growing up in the North West of England in the 90’s five young girls look forward to Top of The Pops every Thursday, so they can sing along to ‘The Band’. Their Smash Hit posters cover all available wall space and after seeing ‘The Band’ in concert the young girls make a pact to always stay in touch. But that night tragedy strikes, and they lose touch for 25 years
Firth’s writing is very carefully observed and makes us laugh, cringe, cry and cheer for the women who this musical is really about. The teenagers were superb and took me right back to the days when I too adored a pop star and made promises I was so sure I would keep.
This true to life production, which will see everybody being able to relate to the life events, brings out every emotion. One minute I was singing along to Take That songs, the next snivelling into a tissue and the next laughing out loud. It really does have something for everybody.
Whilst some “jukebox” musicals have songs shoehorned in and very little in the way of story, Greatest Days is different. The music of Take That is secondary to the piece, it doesn’t drive the show and it fits perfectly into the story. Firth has woven a tight script around a simple premise of schoolgirl crushes and the pains of love and loss across a narrative that spans over 25 years. The simplicity of which means that we can really connect with the characters
It would feel wrong to single out one member of the cast for praise as they were all outstanding, all playing their parts superbly. The younger group of friends Emilie Cunliffe (Rachel), Mary Moore (Debbie), Kitty Harris (Heather), Mari McGinlay (Claire) and Hannah Brown (Zoe) show great chemistry on stage together. The older group of Kym Marsh (Rachel), Rachel Marwood (Heather), Jamie-Rose Monk (Claire) and Holly Ashton (Zoe) are fierce, funny and wonderful. The casting is superb with the scenes in which they appear together showing how similar they all are – especially real life mother and daughter due Kim and Emilie playing Rachel at 16 and 25 years later. Back For Good sung by the teenagers to their adult selves was particularly moving. It takes no imagination to believe they could be a younger and older version of the same person. For these are real people, totally identifiable. And you will sit looking at your 16 year old self and recognising the 40 plus year old woman you have become
The Band (Kalifa Burton, Jamie Corner, Archie Durrant, Regan Gascoigne and Alexander O’Reilly) are lyrically outstanding, adding depth and meaning to Gary Barlow’s lyrics, giving a resonance to the scene’s in which they appear.
The cast is completed by Christopher D Hunt as Rachel’s long term partner; steady dependable Jeff who wants to get married (the scene should come with a mascara warning when Rachel explains to him why she couldn’t) and Alan Stocks who is hilarious as several different cameo characters and billed as Every Dave in the programme. There are no weak links in this cast. It could have been incredibly cheesy and sentimental but they manage to keep it grounded and real whilst also being entertaining and slightly mad at times!
Lucy Osborne has worked wonders with a set that believably adapts to everything. Aaron Renfree’s choreography set to the music of Take That and played by a live band (Zach Flis, Josh Cottell, Gareth Lieske, Nathan Finn and Dave Stewart) is excellent
This is the perfect feel good musical, for the 40+ generation especially – on your around the UK now. Go and see it for yourself but take tissues