Love London Love Culture rounds up the reviews for Tim Firth’s musical which has arrived in the West End for a limited season.
WhatsOnStage: **** “Yes, The Band is a poignant watch – about ageing and loss. But it has a solution. It’s out to show there’s nothing more important in life than having a mate at your side, singing and dancing like deranged teenagers at some gig.”
Hampstead Highgate Express: **** “But the show packs an emotional punch and not only in the gig scenes. These are tantalizing few in number and electric albeit with the help of ramped-up sound and a jowl-pummeling wind machine.”
Time Out: *** ” These regrets feel a bit more real than the slightly contrived storyline, which handles the obligatory big issues only semi-sensitively.”
London Theatre.co.uk: ** “Theatregoers are advised to have a little patience with this new Take That jukebox. With the blessing of the band, unlike 2007 effort Never Forget, Tim Firth tells the story of friendship and nostalgia. While it’s hard to deny the hits of Take That as a great soundtrack, The Band is let down by a story that panders to its audience.”
Exeunt Magazine: “It’s all a baffling shame: from the patronising dialogue to script writer Tim Firth’s reductive approach to the female cast.”
Theatre Weekly.com: *** “Director, Jack Ryder has at least made the production look stunning, it’s big budget, over the top and thrilling to look at.”
Musical Theatre Review: ***** “The script, choreography and visuals work harmoniously to create a spectacle that is both relevant to an audience who grew up during the Take That era, and also to everyone else in between.”
The Spy in the Stalls: **** “There are some parts which may raise a few eyebrows in this day and age – dodgy Polish accents and fat jokes to name a couple. This isn’t outstanding musical theatre and doesn’t deliver anything new. However, if you take it at face value, it is a fantastic, fun experience and certainly one you’ll Never Forget.”
Monstagigz: **** “The most thrilling aspects of this show are when the titular Band is recreating Take That’s best moments not least during an early mash-up of their most energetic hits.”
British Theatre Guide: “The show has a generic appeal that cleverly balances moments of aching realism (where did that time go?) amid joyful escapism (no easy task). In other words, you do not have to be a Take That fan to enjoy this well-told evocation of beloved-bands and bands of friendship that often break but have the power to stretch and return to shape.”
The Band continues to play at the Theatre Royal Haymarket until the 12th January 2019. To book tickets visit: https://lovelondonloveculture.tixuk.com/london-theatre/musicals/the-band