Take That to the fans! Band musical plans a festive 50
TAKE That stars Gary Barlow, Howard Donald, Mark Owen and Robbie Williams told me of their ‘delight’ at the news that musical The Band will be heading into the Haymarket in London for 50 performances over the Christmas season.
The show, which is in the middle of a two-year UK tour, will move into the Haymarket from December 1 through January 12, 2019. So far, the full tour has sold £20 million worth of tickets.
In a statement to this column, the Take That lads said Barlow, Donald and Owen had visited the Haymarket, which they called ‘one of the most beautiful, historic theatres in London’.
The show, which I caught in Manchester last year, features A.J. Bentley, Nick Carsberg, Yazdan Qafouri, Curtis T. Johns and Sario Solomon who, as Five To Five, won the Let It Shine BBC TV series. In the musical, they play a host of roles, and act as a Greek chorus to leading ladies Rachel Lumberg, Jayne McKenna, Alison Fitzjohn and Emily Joyce, who play fans of an unnamed boyband not a million miles from Take That. They also sing numbers made famous by the enduring group. It’s a fun show, with a tinge of tragedy.
On Monday, the cast will be in London for a Q&A, with Barlow, Donald and Owen; writer Tim Firth; and producers David Pugh and Dafydd Rogers (you can follow on The Band’s Twitter page).
The Haymarket will host a gala performance of The Band on December 5, with proceeds going to charity. I’m hearing that four members of Take That may attend, and it’s hoped the reclusive Jason Orange might join them.
Priority tickets go on sale this morning and general tickets from 9am on Monday.
Visit thebandmusical.com for details.