The Band

A musical that exists entirely with the music of Take That is just my cup of tea, so when X-Rays invited me to see their production of The Band, I didn`t need asking twice! I went along to Bacup Royal Court Theatre and received a very warm welcome as I was shown to my seat. The set designed by Rich Brennand and Cat Oatway had multiple fixed tiers with a large projection screen at the back. The high black side flats were decorated with single colour metallic foil slash curtains (the same colours as the wrist bands) which caught the lights beautifully every time they moved. There was a small bedroom on a single truck and a bank of lockers which were moved on and off the stage as needed. A split circular design was projected on the stage floor with the use of a gobo which added interest and looked very effective. The choreography by Millie Hall was fresh yet familiar, the boy band executated recognisible dance moves with ease, passion and confidence.The rest of the cast choreography was tight, slick, energetic and fun. I got the distinct impression that everyone on stage was enjoying themselves. Paul Nicholls had the monumental task of Musical Director, this show is like two shows in one with there being a singing band on stage and then a musical band in the pit but Paul tackled this all with ease, pace was good on both counts. Harmonies from the boys on stage were great, notes were strong with no sliding, it can be quite difficult keeping a pop songs integrity while dropping it into a musical theatre context however this was very much achieved and all the songs stayed very recognisible. Sound by MASH Audio Visual assisted by Emily Midgley was good throughout with no gremlins, glitches or drops. Lighting designed by Chris Lawton was sympathetic to the scenes, costumes and props by Michael Haworth, Cat Oatway and X-Rays ensemble were very fitting to the scenes, props were handled well by the cast.

The Band which consisted of Freddy Adams, Ben Maguire, Ethan Boc, Joshua Vening and Oliver Peck worked tirelessly as a unit. At times it was hard to distinguish reality from fiction and to remember that these were only playing the part of a boy band. Joshua Vening was a stand out for me with his presentation of all his dance moves, he never had any solo vocal  sections  but his dance skills were off the scale. Oliver Peck had some beautiful vocal solo sections and at times held the audience mesmerised with his tone and control. Ben Maguire also showed off some nice vocal skills and worked the audience well . Freddy Adams and Ethan Boc as the final two members of the boy band held their own in this talented group with their own strong vocals.

Deni Griffiths made the part of The Daves his own, his obvious joy at being on stage was felt by every audience member and he made each appearance memorable. The younger girls (Aimee Gallagher, Hayley Watson-Reid, Izzy Adams, Rachel Cree and Jenya Robinson) and then the adult girls (Eileen Melling, Sally Fawthrop, Jade Schofield and Lori-Mae Maddock) were made very visually similar which helped the audience follow the storyline. Both sets of girls had strong vocals and some natural looking groupings on stage. Connection with the audience was nice and connection with the boy band while not actually looking at them was good. Michael Haworth (Director) made a cameo appearance in the role of Jeff (Rachel`s Husband). I particularly enjoyed his scene in the airport with the placards . My favourite section from the ensemble is Boarding the plane to Prague - “Shine”, it is one of the biggest numbers in the show and requires movement, light and shade, strong vocals, energy and attack, this all came across in bucket loads.

Thank you for inviting me, myself and my guest enjoyed your production of The Band and meeting the cast afterwards. I look forward to seeing you all again soon.

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