Review: THE BAND BACK TOGETHER, Arcola Theatre

Photo credit: Kate Hockenhull

It’s almost twenty years since Joe, Ross and Ellie were in a band together in Salisbury, but they have decided to reform – mostly reluctantly as we are to discover – for one final charity gig, despite worrying about whether anyone will come. In The Band Back Together at the Arcola Theatre, we see them meet up again and go over how times were and what has happened since; and there is unfinished business that gets aired in the process.

Barney Norris directs his own play and he has cast three actors who are more than able to inhabit these complex characters. Laura Ebelyn is a luminous performer, the hurt she feels or the contact she is seeking all indicated by a flicker of her eyes or a sudden glance. The subtlety of this impressive performance is enhanced by the production being in the smaller Studio 2 at the Arcola.

As the neurodiverse Joe, James Westphal gives a nervy, jumpy portrayal of a character who is likely to turn in a second from one emotion to another. It would be an easy role to over-dramatise, but Westphal gives a truthful and sometimes understated performance, creating character through his drumming as well as his dialogue. He says he knows he is talking too much, but he also knows there are things he needs to say.

The third member of the cast is Ross, the only member of the band to have had some small success in the music world. Royce Cronin has less to work with here, but still manages to create a believable person who probably has more secrets than he is willing to share with his old friends. All three actors give detailed, intelligent performances that more than do justice to the script.

Set in Norris’ home town, Salisbury, the script makes some references to the Novichok poisoning there in 2018. Following that incident and the pandemic, the city is still struggling to recover, but the location seems far less important than the publicity for the play suggests. The core of the writing is about relationships made, lovers remembered and regrets that still remain. Although these tales are embroidered by mentions of places that will be familiar to those who know Salisbury, it’s a story that could happen anywhere.

Threaded through the play is a series of songs, created by the cast with music supervisor Tom Cook, that provide both counterbalance and illumination to the story as told through the dialogue. This is often very effective, as when Ellie’s line about life being about having adventures with your friends is followed by her beautiful song ‘I’m Gonna Take It With Me When I Go’.

Norris has a good ear for the patterns of natural speech, can craft a funny line and knows how to use the gaps when no-one is talking as well. The performance ends with the rousing conclusion in song that ‘We’ll Say Goodbye At The Crossroads’. In The Band Back Together, Norris explores issues of regret, nostalgia and the lasting harm that people cause to each other, in a truthful piece that makes good use of music.

**** Four stars

Reviewed by: Chris Abbott

The Band Back Together plays at the Arcola Theatre until 28 September, with further info here.