Gary, Mark and Howard (everyone is on first name terms with these guys) admit that right now they are extremely proud producers. Joined by Robbie Williams, and along with David Pugh and Dafydd Rogers, two of the most experienced and well-regarded theatrical producers in the land, the Take That boys find themselves at the helm of a new musical that is winning fans wherever it goes and has extended its tour – including a West End run – due to high demand.

“It is incredible to say we’re coming to London and touring until March next year,” says Howard. “The longevity is brilliant! The key to its success is familiarity; it strikes a chord with people’s lives by being a reflection for anyone who has ever been a fan or a supporter, or anyone who has had a group of friends and known love, friendship and loss. “The only let down is that the music is crap,” he jokes, referring to the Take That hits that provide The Band’s soundtrack.

Mark adds: “We are made up that people are connecting with the show and enjoying it so much. Sometimes I feel a bit guilty for the young guys who won the competition [the five boys who won TV’s ‘Let it Shine’ search for the musical’s title roles] because I don’t think they knew just how much work was involved. But I guess it’s a dream for them and I am made up for them, too.”

“Absolutely!” echoes Gary, delight written all over his face. “I don’t think we could have imagined the pride we would feel every time The Band goes into a new city.”

To be clear, the show is not about Take That. Instead The Band tells the story of a group of 16 year-old friends for whom in 1992, ‘the band’ – a non-specified five-strong group – is everything. 25 years on, the now 40-something women reunite in a quest to fulfil their dream of meeting their heroes.

Cup of tea in hand Gary is in thoughtful mode, pondering on why their show seems to chime with audiences to such an extent.

“I think that friendship really resonates with people,” he says. “Even the idea of the friendship – if you sat us down then we’d all say that friendship is what is at the heart of Take That. It has kept our work strong; we’ve been a gang. The Band is about the relationships really, not the music. You don’t need to be an avid fan, but Tim [Firth – the show’s writer] has so cleverly woven our music into a parallel universe. Whenever I see it I leave happy.”
He’s got a point. Few shows succeed in sending you out quite so elated; dancing all the way home, with love for the special people in your life utterly reaffirmed.

Mark dunks a chocolate digestive into his tea and picks up Gary’s thread.
“It brought me back to when I was a teenager knocking about with my mates and the dreams that I had then. It made me contact old friends after I saw it. People slip from us as we get busy with life, but the show made me reminisce. It was like a pause button.” With a naughty grin he adds: “Oh yeah, and it’s got these amazing songs in it!”

And don’t be thinking that The Band is a show that only ladies or die-hard Take That fans will enjoy. Howard is adamant on that point: “Listen, while guys might be sceptical about coming to see the show, it is relevant to them too. Whether they like the music or not, they will thoroughly enjoy the show.”

As for mentoring the phenomenally talented young bucks who collectively play the title role, Howard admits when growing-up it wasn’t a role he imagined for himself.

“I never envisaged being a pop star let alone a producer – I was on a YTS training scheme to be a vehicle painter and panel beater when I joined Take That, but luckily we had the right people behind us. The lads [of The Band] are really down to earth, which is how we formed our friendship, how we grew up as a group and how we can now re-group. Who knows; maybe Jason (Orange) will come back one day? We’re not looking at it like that, but that we have all matured and stayed mates means that there is always possibility.”

“I’ve enjoyed the mentoring more than anything,” agrees Mark. “You feel like a father to his son and we had sit-down talks about looking after each other and about going out into the world! It has been a real pleasure. Their energy is really positive and so they inspire us. It really does work both ways.”

The show sees the older women looking back at their younger selves and I’m curious to know what advice, with the benefit of hindsight, the trio would give themselves at, say, sixteen. Gary doesn’t need time to think.
“I’d say grab it and enjoy this moment right now. It sounds so corny but this young cast are at such an amazing time in their lives, but they may have some tough years ahead. It’s so important to enjoy the here and now. We give ourselves a pep talk now and again, especially before tours. We really do appreciate all that we have.”

“Yeah, I’d say much the same,” agrees Howard. “I’d definitely advise my younger self to take it all in and enjoy it, although that can be easier said than done. We were literally lifted off our feet and for six years we had no time for girlfriends and family. I have kids and I am so lucky that I have a job that means that I can usually be with them all day long and just go off on tour now and again.”

“What would I say to my younger self?” Mark muses, before laughing and saying: “A lot! I’d probably have a big sit-down with myself! But mostly I’d say just embrace it all; the ups and downs and left and rights. Oh, and don’t have that first fag; don’t start smoking. My thing is chocolate now. Don’t tell anyone but I did eat some of my children’s Easter Eggs this year.”
Harking back to their teen years makes them recall what was going on for them then.

“I so wanted to be a pilot,” Howard remembers. “I’ve still got a dream of flying a plane, although maybe not a commercial airline. I remember that on my wall I had pictures of cars. Weird! I didn’t start getting into girls until I was 16; I was a late starter. But I made up for it!”

“I was quite into football so Pelé, Maradona and Liverpool players were my pin-ups. Music wise it was Madonna and Elvis,” Mark recalls. “I loved Elvis and grew up listening to him because mum was a big fan. I used to put lard in my hair and sing Elvis songs – mum went mad with me!”

Admitting to being obsessed with music from the age of 10, spending hours on end in front of a piano and a synthesizer, Gary’s bedroom wall paid homage to the likes of Adam Ant, The Human League and Depeche Mode.
“I am so grateful that I had music and singing lessons from early on,” he says. “They have been the foundation for a long career; the building blocks. The time when you have no family or work pressures is the time to really learn and I did, thank God.”

So what next for The Band – a second tour?

Gary gives an enigmatic smile. “We have plans because The Band is a musical that we believe in so much. By no means have we reached our goal.”

The Band is at The Lowry, Salford Quays from 16-26 January 2019. See website for full tour details.

Read our review of the show when it premiered at The Opera House, Manchester in 2017.

The post Take That’s Gary Barlow, Howard Donald and Mark Owen talk about their roles as producers on musical The Band appeared first on Quays Life.

Just like a prized WI cake competition, the drama has all the right ingredients – love, loss, friendship, community, humour and an uplifting message. Add to this Gary Barlow’s catchy tunes and may have just found the extra spice audience’s never tire of.

Judging by the cheers and spontaneous ovation at The Lowry, emotions were catching people as if hearing it for the first time. And plenty of emotions there were too. One minute we were fighting back tears the next letting them flow with laughter.

It’s a story about ordinary people doing extraordinary things, and writers, Tim Firth (who also wrote both the film and stage play version) and Gary Barlow tug on the heart-strings by keeping references to everyday things everyone can relate to, from buying margarine in Tesco to folding duvets.

The Women’s Institute in Rylstone, North Yorkshire is made up of a group of ‘respectable’ women who’ve been friends for years. They bake, knit, and have competitions to make fir cones that look like celebrities. Robert Jones design draws us into a rural idyll; a green and pleasant land of rolling hills and sunsets. It’s a picture postcard setting where life is comfortable, or at least from the outside it all looks very cosy. But as the story progresses we get a glimpse into the lives of each of the women and the private battles they each face makes the uncovered finale feel all the more triumphant.

At the centre is Annie, whose husband is diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma, a type of blood cancer, at age 53. Understudy, Ellie Leah, standing-in for Anna-Jane Casey, brings the audience along with her from the off. Her sparky personality and strong vocals capture the massive range of emotions expressed through the smallest of details. There were few dry eyes during her heart-breaking number, Kilimanjaro when she sings, “If the girl who only bakes the cakes can cope with getting wedding rings back in an envelope.” But she quickly raises our spirits again with, ‘a day will come to say, ‘Ok the sun has set, but it isn’t yet’’.

What began with Annie becomes the story of a community and Firth and Barlow illuminate the impact on the younger generation to good effect. This isn’t simply a girls night out musical; there is something here for everyone.

The UK tour has a raft of recognisable faces. Denise Welch and Fern Britton happily send themselves up and are sure-fire crowd-pleasers. Ruth Madoc gives a real attitudinal kick to her solo, ‘What Age Expects’.  If the show was a WI scone there are huge dollops of comedy cream from Sara Crowe as nervous Ruth nursing her Russian friend, and Karen Dunbar as the quirky carol singing vicar’s daughter and single mum, Cora who jokes: ‘If Jesus had teenage children the Bible would be very different.”

Musical theatre star, Rebecca Storm gives a powerful-voiced and fun performance as Annie’s friend, Chris, who comes up with the idea of the group doing a Pirelli-style calendar to raise money for a comfortable settee for the family room at the hospital where John was treated. At the time the WI doing anything so risqué was unthinkable. Today the Britishness of it all, hiding their ‘front bottoms’ as Ruth Madoc’s school teacher character, Jessie calls them, with knitting, cakes and plum jam, is still hilarious.

Here it is the finale of an emotional roller-coaster. And what a finale it is. All the cast are superb, but Karen Dunbar deserves a special mention for getting me crying laughing with her cheeky, organ playing portrait.

Like the Calendar Girls play, it’s easy to see how this show could roll on and on as a vehicle for different celebrity faces. And I’m sure I won’t be alone in thinking, I’d love to see this sunflower of a musical as another film.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Calendar Girls The Musical is at The Lowry, Salford Quays from 30 October to 10 November 2018. See website for full tour details.

Read our interview with the cast.

The post Calendar Girls The Musical Review appeared first on Quays Life.