REVIEW | Greatest Days - The Take That Musical

Photo: Alastair-Muir

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Reviewer - Aimee

*Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in return for an honest review

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Greatest Days (originally known as The Band) is a jukebox musical featuring some of Take That’s greatest hits. The story follows a group of women reuniting after losing touch in their teenage years. They are brought back together by their love for a band called The Boys, of who they were fans of in their teenage years. The story is really funny and has many laugh out loud moments, including an unexpected reference to the Duke of York (which really caught me off guard). However it’s also packed with emotion and can have you laughing one minute and then crying in the next. The way it portrays life and the different things it can throw at you feels real and relatable. 

With these types of musicals sometimes they have very weak plots and are made just for the sake of putting an artist’s music on stage, however this is not the case here. It’s not hard to see that book writer Tim Firth has put a lot of effort into this story to make it what it is. The plot works on its own without having to rely on the music to tell you everything that is happening or every emotion that the characters are feeling. 

The set design created by Lucy Osborne is quite simplistic. It doesn’t massively change throughout the show however they move certain set pieces around and bring on props to take you to different locations. For me this really worked as it allows you to focus on what’s happening rather than distracting you by completely changing the set every time the location changes.

I wouldn’t really say there’s a particular cast member that stands out in this show. Even though the story is sort of told from Rachel’s point of view, they very much work together equally to tell it. Everyone gave a brilliant performance and if I tried to list them all and the reasons why, I’d be here forever. The only thing I will say is that the performers who play The Boys don’t get any dialogue outside of the songs. At first I wasn’t sure about how I felt on this but now I feel like it was the right decision to make for this show. The story really isn’t about them but rather the people they bring together, so their lack of dialogue just allows for us to get more from the others.

When it comes to the selection of music they give you everything you would want and expect from a Take That musical. The music is used in various ways with some being presented in the form of the band performing at a concert. At other times the girls are also using the songs to convey their emotions as they go through life. I was raised on their music due to my mum being a big fan and so part of this show felt very nostalgic to me. However I don’t think you have to be a fan of them to be able to enjoy this show. You can enjoy and appreciate the selection of music even if you don’t know who Take That are. 

If you ever grew up being obsessed with a boyband (or any artist for that matter) whose music meant more than you than just a nice song, you should see this show. It will have you laughing, reminiscing on your younger years, and you might even just cry.

• At Palace Theatre, Manchester until 27 May as part of the UK Tour.