Greatest Days
The brand new Take That musical!
Why see Greatest Days?
Let it shine on stage!
In celebration of 30 years since hitting their first number one with the single Pray and the release of their brand new hit movie of the same name, comes this exciting new musical from Tim Firth, featuring the songs of Take That! Soundtracked by 15 of the band's biggest hits, Greatest Days (formerly known as The Band) is set to be a heartwarming musical of love, loss and laughter that recreates the sheer joy of experiencing your favourite band live!
What is the story?
It's the 90s and the band is at the top of their game, as are five best friends who live for them. Catching up with them 20 years later, we follow their reunion as they head off to see the boys one last time they'll Never Forget!
Cast
Kym Marsh as Rachel *until July 22nd
Jennifer Ellison as Rachel *from August 21st
Holly Ashton as Zoe
Hannah Brown as young Zoe
Emilie Cunliffe as young Rachel
Olivia Hallett as young Rachel *from July 24th
Kitty Harris as young Heather
Christopher D. Hunt as Jeff
Rachel Marwood as Heather
Mari McGinlay as young Claire
Jamie Rose-Monk as Claire
Mary Moore as Debbie
Alan Stocks as Dave
Boyband
Kalifa Burton
Jamie Corner
Archie Durrant
Regan Gascoigne
Alexanda O'Reilly
Dance Captain
Charlotte Anne-Steen
Understudies
Taylor Allman
Benjamin Cameron
Bayley Hart
Keith Henderson
Karen Holmes
Evangeline Jarvis-Jones
Creative
Written and co-directed by Tim Firth
Co-direction by Stacey Haynes
Choreographed by Aaron Renfree
Set and costume design by Lucy Osborne
Lighting design by Rob Casey
Sound design by Tony Gayle
Musical supervision by John Donovan
Costume supervision by Martin Rodges
Casting by David Grindrod
Reviews
Customer reviews
7 reviews, average rating: (3.1 Stars)
Yasmin Al-Sheklly
A witty and emotional musical with great hits of Take That
What is the plot of Greatest Days?
The story follows the lives of Rachel, Zoe, Claire, Heather and Debbie who are a group of friends who are all madly obsessed with their boyband idols Take That. They go to see them at a concert as teenagers in the 1990s however tragedy strikes as Debbie dies. This puts their friendships at a standstill. We then go forward 25 years later where they meet up at a concert in Athens, Greece.
It looks at how that tragedy has affected their friendship and their personal lives.
What themes are explored in Greatest Days?
The themes that are explored in Greatest Days are friendship, music, loss, love and mental health.
Cast
Mary Moore was brilliant as Debbie. She was energetic and lively on stage. She was warm and charismatic. Her stage presence was so natural that you could not stop looking at whenever she was on stage. Her vocal range is incredible and she sings the songs with power and ease.
Emille Cunliffe was brilliant as Young Rachel. Her comedic timing was second to none. Her acting is so good that she is capable of showing different emotions particularly in Act 1 of this musical.
Kitty Harris as Young Heather. Her performance was excellent. She did it with ease and panache.
Mari McGinley as Young Claire gave us a sporty performance giving us moments reminiscent of Mel C.
Heather Brown as Young Heather gives a good impression of not being cool in an uncomfortable way.
Kym Marsh did the role with gusto as Rachel. She presented the character in a effortless manner. Her body language was natural conveying the fact that she cannot move on with her life until she has dealt with her past. We witness with her what she has lost and what she has gained at the end.
Jamie Rose Monk stood out as Claire. Her acting was convincing that we believed her when she was going through the struggles of losing her friends and suffering with depression.
Holly Ashton as Zoe and Rachel Harwood as Heather also had great performances too. They provided us with moments of light-heartedness. They also had bags of energy and charm.
Alan Stocks as Dave is multi-talented. He has a natural charm. He plays a number of roles from a bus driver to airport security and even a Greek police officer. He provided the comedy in this production playing each role perfectly.
Christopher D Hunt as Jeff who is Rachel’s boyfriend had a small part however his presence was significant. His acting was excellent showing both an emotional side but also having some funny moments too.
This cast was wonderful. The teenager girls and the adult group complemented one other superbly. It did not affect the flow of the action in any way. They showed us how they are a team on that stage regardless of how big or small their roles are. Their chemistry on stage oozed with wit, warmth and they put a smile on our faces.
Alexander O’Reilly, Kalifa Burton, Jamie Corner, Archie Durrant, and Regan Gascoigne are the band. They are a talented bunch of boys that sing, act and dance. Their voices are very good and their dance moves are choreographed exquisitely. They are likeable and are full of energy which is infectious to see. They transport you to that concert vibe where you show love to the band that you love.
Despite they are in the background that creates a scene however they are a chorus where they sing small parts of Take That songs. These snippets are effective as they show emotion and it allows the music to stand out as that is what connects the story with the band.
Script
The script of Greatest Days was solid focusing on 5 real teenagers who are later adults showcasing their love of their band and the 5 members. It great that it was real and relatable to anyone. It highlights the ups, downs and struggles whilst loving a band. The script has many layers from humour to the emotional elements especially the loss of Debbie. It was fun, light-hearted and uplifting despite some moments that were sombre.
Sets
The sets were minimal and stripped back however it does feature a spectacular 2 tier stage with moving stairs and lights to light up the sky.
Soundtrack
This musical contains 15 songs from the Take That music catalogue. It was a great mix of big dance hits such as Relight My Fire to emotional ballads like Back For Good. The music arrangement was incredible especially with the cast starting with a acapella style to more energy with the music. Clever work. Also the live band added a great touch to the proceedings as you can feel the power of the music along with the lyrics of each song.
This production finished with a great finale which allowed you to sing, dance, and shout. It meant that we left the auditorium on a high with a smile on our face.
If you love a story about friendship and the love of boybands that is funny and that is light-hearted with the songs of Take That then it is sure to be a greatest day out at the theatre.
... Read more
Debra
Take that
Best show I've seen for a while, and I've been to London west end many times. Superb cast ... Read more
Cindy Lou
What a show
Well, what an amazing show, from the first musicial beat until the final curtain. So emotional and tells the story of 5 teenage friends and how their 'expected' lives develop.
The Band and the girls put their heart and soul into telling that story of friendship. I went with 4 of my girlfriends, there were tears, laughter and dancing. 10/10 best show I've seen for a long time. ... Read more
NEWS, TICKETS, THEATRE & MORE
"Broadway and show news straight to your inbox!"
Read how we protect your data .