The Band (musical)
The Band is a jukebox musical with music and lyrics by Take That and a book by Tim Firth. It received its world premiere at the Manchester Opera House, in September 2017, before embarking on a UK and Ireland tour and opened at the Theatre Royal Haymarket at London's West End in December 2018. The band was cast through the 2017 BBC reality television show Let It Shine.[2]
| The Band | |
|---|---|
 Logo for the production | |
| Music | Take That |
| Lyrics | Take That |
| Book | Tim Firth |
| Basis | The music of Take That |
| Premiere | 26 September 2017[1]: Manchester Opera House |
| Productions | 2017 UK tour 2018 West End 2019 Germany |
The musical tells the story of four women who were best friends as teenagers and all big fans of The Band. 25 years later after losing contact the four of them reunite to fulfill their dream of seeing the band perform.[3]
The Band is the second jukebox musical based on the songs of Take That, after the 2008 musical Never Forget.
Productions
UK and Ireland tour (2017 - 2019)
The musical premiered at the Manchester Opera House on 26 September 2017 (previewing from 8 September) before touring the rest of the UK and Ireland until March 2019.[4][5]
West End (2018 - 2019)
The musical made its West End premiere at the Theatre Royal Haymarket for a limited run from 1 December 2018 to 12 January 2019, including a charity gala opening night on 4 December 2018.
Germany (2019)
The musical will make its premiere at the Theater des Westens in Berlin for a limited run from 11 April 2019 to September 2019 followed by a run in Munich from 11 October 2019 to 3 November 2019.
Cast UK and Ireland
| Character | Actor |
|---|---|
| The Band | AJ Bentley |
| Nick Carsberg | |
| Curtis T Johns | |
| Yazdan Qafouri | |
| Sario Solomon | |
| Rachel | Rachel Lumberg |
| Heather | Emily Joyce |
| Claire | Alison Fitzjohn |
| Zoe | Jayne McKenna |
| Young Rachel | Faye Christall |
| Young Heather | Katy Clayton |
| Young Claire | Sarah Kate Howarth |
| Young Zoe | Lauren Jacobs |
| Debbie | Rachelle Diedericks |
| Jeff | Martin Miller |
| Every Dave | Andy Williams |
Cast Germany
| Character | Actor | Walk-in | Walk-in |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Band | Alex Charles | Sonny Grieveson | Erik Hallegren |
| Sario Solomon | |||
| Prince Damien | |||
| Helge Mark Lodder | |||
| Taddeo Pellegrini | |||
| Jeff | Tilman Madaus | Daniel Rossmeisl | Martin T. Haberger |
| Dave | Daniel Rossmeisl | Tilman Madaus | |
| Rachel | Silke Geertz | Katharina Lehmann | Saskia Kästner |
| Heather | Laura Leyh | Heike Kloss | |
| Claire | Yvonne Köstler | Silke Geertz | Saskia Kästner |
| Zoe | Heike Kloss | Katharina Lehmann | |
| Young Rachel | Maria Arnold | Ruth Lauer | Clara Mills-Karzel |
| Young Heather | Jara Buczynski | Kristin Heil | |
| Young Claire | Kristin Heil | Isabell Waltsgott | Franziska Trunte |
| Young Zoe | Laura Saleh | ||
| Debbie | Ruth Lauer | Clara Mills-Karzel |
References
- "Dates for new Take That musical The Band officially announced". whatsonstage.com. Whats On Stage. 3 April 2017. Retrieved 14 July 2018.
- "Five To Five are crowned the winners of Let It Shine as they beat Nightfall and Drive". mirror.co.uk. Daily Mirror.
- "The Band - Grand Opera House". Grand Opera House. Retrieved 2018-09-07.
- King, Bob. "The Band | The new musical by Tim Firth with the music of Take That | Touring the UK in 2017/18". www.thebandmusical.com. Retrieved 2017-03-08.
- "The Band Musical Tickets". www.londonboxoffice.co.uk. Retrieved 2018-03-15.