Nottingham Theatre Royal until Sat 9th September 2023
Reviewed by Amy V Gathercole
4****
“Full to the brim of heart and humour – a new show to remind us to ‘Never Forget‘”
Greatest Days was initially released as The Band in 2017 and has recently been revamped to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Take That’s first UK number 1 single, ‘Pray‘. It coincides with the summer 2023 release of the film Greatest Days too. I much preferred the energy and emotion of the show to the film.
Capturing a similar vibe and feel to Mamma Mia, with songs from an iconic band and an attractive European setting, Greatest Days takes you on a memorable journey full of heart and humour. I’ve never seen a jukebox musical that’s so clever with how the band’s lyrics play out alongside the plot. There’s credit here to Tim Firth writer and co-director.
Greatest Days is a heartfelt, warm and fuzzy story about friendship, growing up, and never letting go of your childhood dreams and memories. Sharing the joy of your first band obsession, thumbing through the pages of Smash Hits, taping Top of The Pops and always singing their hits (at top volume, of course) all are recaptured brilliantly by a vibrant and energetic cast on this nostalgia trip filled with love and music.
Act 1 and Act 2 differ in tone. The first half showcases the friendship, fun, 90s-era obsessions, and ambitions of five 16-year-old girls attending their first gig to see ‘The Boys’. The 5 young friends are headed up by Rachel (Olivia Hallett) -the biggest fan of all and are made up of, Debbie (Evangeline Jarvis-Jones) – a wannabe dancer; Heather (Karen Holmes) – a budding fashion designer; Zoe (Hannah Brown) – the book-obsessed smart girl and Claire (Mari Mcginlay) the sporty one, who has dreams of diving in the Olympics one day.
Tragically, a life-changing incident drives the girls apart, as they come to terms with the changes in their lives and their group dynamic. They sadly lose touch and progress in their lives without each other. The show’s second half is about how the rifts are fixed and what everyone’s lives turned out to be 25 years later. The catalyst for the unexpected reunion is because adult Rachel (Jennifer Elison) wins tickets in a radio competition to Greece, Athens, to see a reunion gig of ‘The Boys’. After some soul searching, she reaches out to her old friends to see if they want to join her for the ultimate comeback to see their favourite band again. Once the adult ladies unite, they let down their barriers and share some secrets and honesty, as they are all reminded of why their friendships were so strong and significant.
‘The Boys’ (Jamie Corner, Archie Durrant, Regan Gascoigne, Kalifa Burton and Alexander O’Reilly) are all great, playing multiple characters throughout and adding life and emotion to the lyrics of Take That. By having them as a background soundtrack to Rachel’s life, you see them take on multiple roles, from Greek statues to airport staff. Their matching costumes are nostalgic, and their dance routines are choreographed to perfection by Aaron Renfree. Their vocals are harmonised wonderfully as they perform renditions of fan faves, including ‘Shine’, ‘Back for Good’, ‘Pray’, ‘Patience’ and of course, ‘Greatest Day’, among many other
songs from their extensive back catalogue.
The set looks minimal at first glance, but it’s very cleverly designed and is created from what seems like one central block on the stage. Throughout the show, it transforms into many things, including a fountain in Athens, an airport, a school corridor and a backdrop for any concert scenes, among many other iterations. It rotates, lights up and impresses throughout the show.
So do you need to be a fan of Take That to enjoy the show? It helps, as you are treated to a mini concert every few scenes from ‘The Boys’, and it’s a massive focus of the show. However, if you just love a story focusing on female friendships, lots of humour and fancy a fun night giggling along with your mates, then in that case, you will find lots to enjoy, despite the somewhat predictable plot