The Girls officially opens in the West End to rave reviews

Gary Barlow and Tim Firth’s musical The Girls has officially opened in London’s West End.

The musical opened at The Phoenix Theatre last night, receiving rave reviews from numerous outlets and a standing ovation from its audience.

“the biggest British musical hit since Billy Elliot”, The Stage

“a soaring, emotional and hit triumph… (it) establishes Gary as even more of a songwriting genius – with songs that should try stand the test of time”, The Sun

“Gary’s warm, witty Girls will make your day”, Metro

“Fresh and joyous”, The Independent

***** (5 stars) from – Daily Mail, The Stage, The Independent, The Sun, Metro

**** (4 stars) from – The Guardian, The Daily Telegraph, The Evening Standard

Here at CelebMix, we went along to one of the first previews a few weeks ago and were completely blown away by the show. Check out our review here. The musical, based on the story of The Calendar Girls, is a heartwarming and inspiring triumph which will have you in fits of giggles one minute, and in tears the next.

A gala performance was held earlier this week, with attendees including Gary’s fellow Let It Shine presenters and hosts; Graham Norton, Mel Giedroyc and Dannii Minogue. His Take That band mate Mark Owen was also present, however, Howard Donald had to miss the event as his wife was giving birth to their son. Gary took to the stage alongside the cast and the original Calendar Girls for the curtain call.

Due to the popularity of the musical, the booking period has already been extended. From Monday February 27, the period will extend to 15 July 2017. From 25 April there will also be a Tuesday matinee show.

Whilst The Girls is proving to be a huge success, it is not the only thing keeping Gary Barlow busy at the moment. Take That released their new single ‘Giants’ last week, which is lifted from their forthcoming album Wonderland. The band will soon be preparing for the release of their album and its supporting tour which kicks off in May.

This weekend also sees the finale of Gary’s TV talent show Let It Shine, as the search for ‘The Band’ in a new musical based on Take That’s music comes to an end. Take That are also due to perform on the show.