West End Wednesday: THE BAND
The Band is a 2017 musical using the songs of British band ‘Take That’. The Band is the second British musical to premiere in the West End after the 2008 production of Never Forget. However, as music publishers EMI licensed the songs for Never Forget, the production was never officially endorsed or supported by the group themselves, The Band however is. The show tells of a group of teenagers who are obsessed with the band. As the years pass, they lose contact until 25 years later when they all decide to reunite to finally fulfil their dream of seeing the band perform live.
For the first time since the 2012 television series of Superstar, the producers of The Band used a reality TV format to cast the band in the musical. Gary Barlow who penned the songs for ‘Take That’ served as a judge throughout the series. Over the weeks, contestants were whittled down through a televised audition process, put into separate bands, and then battled it out to claim the coveted roles. The show was won by ‘Five to Five’ consisting of band members: AJ Bentley, Nick Carsberg, Curtis T Johns, Yazdan Qafouri and Sario Solomon.
Alongside a score by ‘Take That’, the musical’s book was penned by writer Tim Firth who had previously collaborated with Barlow on The Calendar Girls. The production opened at The Manchester Opera House on 26 September 2017, after having commenced previews on the 8th. The opening night cast included Rachel Lumberg as Rachel, Emily Joyce as Heather, Alison Fitzjohn as Claire, Jayne McKenna as Zoe, Faye Christall as Young Rachel, Katy Clayton as Young Heather, Sarah Kate Howarth as Young Claire, Lauren Jacobs as Young Zoe, Rachelle Diedericks as Debbie, Martin Miller as Jeff and Andy Williams as Dave. The show was directed by Kim Gavin and Jack Ryder with choreography by Gavin, design by Jon Bausor, lighting by Patrick Woodroffe, sound by Terry Jardine and Nick Lidster, and video design by Luke Halls. Mid-tour, the musical stopped off for a limited engagement in London’s West End at the Theatre Royal Haymarket, playing from 1 December 2018 – 12 January 2019 before finishing its UK and Ireland tour in March 2019. The production opened to positive notices from critics and audiences alike.
The musical premiered in Germany in Berlin in 2019 for a 5-month run before transferring to Munich for a month’s run.
In April 2020, Gary Barlow announced via Twitter that the musical was to be adapted into a motion picture.
Unfortunately, Besties, a cast recording was never made, but we hope for the future!
FACTS:
Music: Take That
Lyrics: Take That
Book: Tim Firth
Theatre: The Theatre Royal Haymarket
Run: 1 December 2018 – 12 January 2019 – limited run (3 previews and around 40 performances)
