Could this be magic? The ‘Take That musical’ – based on the songs of Gary Barlow and featuring the trials and torments of a Take That tribute band – finally reaches London, and the moment is upon us to ask whether it’s something we’ll really never forget.
There probably is a great musical to be had from the tribute-act concept. This isn’t it, unfortunately, though it’s amiably diverting. The big bun-shaking set-piece numbers are fun, and it’s amusing that the fake Take That-ers are so unlike their real-life counterparts: Jason is played by a mother-fearing Spaniard full of native proverbial wisdom, etc. But the writers could have worked harder on the plot: when a band (and a tribute band at that) has only been together for approximately three minutes, it’s hard to care when one of them quits. And that’s the dramatic crux here. If Take That stand for anything in pop culture, it’s as the embodiment of the ’90s metrosexual moment. ‘Never Forget’ plays it all far too straight.
It does contain two great elements in abundance, though: fire and water. The flames that billow out with literal fervour on ‘Relight My Fire’ are hot enough to make those in the tenth row fear for their eyebrows, while the rain that falls with proper Mancunian intensity in ‘Back for Good’ threatens to turn into a biblical Flood before the drops begin to spell out the words ‘Never Forget’. Now that is magic, and something I’ll never forget, etc, etc.
I saw this show on Saturday night, it was the most fun I've ever had in a theatre. If you liked Take That - You will LOVE this show! Cheese! Cheese! Cheese!
Where is the Time Out Review?
If you're a 30 something female (or Gay) this show is the perfect night out!
1 comment
I saw this show on Saturday night, it was the most fun I've ever had in a theatre. If you liked Take That - You will LOVE this show! Cheese! Cheese! Cheese!
Where is the Time Out Review?
If you're a 30 something female (or Gay) this show is the perfect night out!