Kentish Gazette Canterbury & District
Take That musical coming to Marlowe
Early booking advised for show touring UK
The songs of Take That will be used to tell a tale of boy-band obsession in a musical set to hit the Marlowe stage.
Fans of the chart-toppers are urged to snap up tickets fast for The Band, which comes to Canterbury early next year as part of a major UK tour.
It features five men cast for the roles in BBC hit talent show Let It Shine, including AJ Bentley, 22, from Hythe.
Together they play Five to Five, a hugely popular boy band based on Take That.
The story, which starts in 1992, follows five 16-year-old girls who are obsessed with the band.
It then picks up 25 years later as the now 40-something women try once more to meet their heroes.
Take That frontman Gary Bar- low, who was a judge on Let it Shine, said: “This isn’t a story specifically about us, this is a story alongside our story.
“We’re starting to really fall in love with everybody we’re working with and feel very proud to be able to just sit in an audience and watch our music being performed.
“It’s a celebration – we’re happy to say – of our music. It’s a beautifully written story.
“One of the things we loved when this story came about was that it pays the ultimate respect to the audience.
“This is what theatre is all about, putting something on stage which will take people from laughing, crying, standing on their feet, dancing, singing along, making them feel like they’re 15 again.”
The show will play at the Marlowe Theatre from February 20 to March 3, 2018. Tickets are selling fast. Visit thebandmusical.com or marlowetheatre.com for more information.