Earlier today, tickets for the UK tour of The Band, the musical based on the music of Take That, went on sale. At 12pm, Thatters were out in force, and within just two hours the Box Office took £2 million. This makes The Band the fastest selling theatre tour ever.
The musical was given its official launch yesterday at the Manchester Apollo, where Take That first performed in 1992. A rehearsed reading was held in front of a specially invited audience, who got the first glimpse of this brand new musical.
The Band will star Five to Five, made up of AJ Bentley, Nick Carsberg, Yazdan Qafouri Isfahani, Curtis T Johns and Sario Watanabe-Soloman, who won their roles on BBC talent show Let It Shine. The roles of Rachel and Young Rachel will be played by Rachel Lumberg and Faye Christall respectively, with further casting yet to be announced.
The musical will tell the tale of what it’s like to grow up with a boyband.
For five 16 year-old friends in 1992, ‘the band’ is everything. 25 years on, we are reunited with the group of friends, now 40-something women, as they try once more to fulfil their dream of meeting their heroes.
The Band is produced by David Pugh and Dafydd Rogers, as well as Take That’s Gary Barlow, Howard Donald, Mark Owen and Robbie Williams. The musical will be directed by Kim Gavin and Jack Ryder, designed by Jon Bausor and choreographed by Kim Gavin. Lighting design will be by Patrick Woodroffe, video design by Luke Halls and sound design by Terry Jardine and Nick Lidster.
The UK Tour will begin at Manchester Opera House on 8 September, with a national press night on Tuesday 26 September 2017. The musical will tour for a year, finishing off in Edinburgh in July 2018. A full list of dates is available on The Band’s website.
We’re so excited for The Band musical! Whether you’re a Take That fan or not, the musical is about the fans, and anyone who’s grown up idolising a boyband will be able to resonate with its story.