Greatest Days at Wolverhampton Grand Theatre - Review

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Mon 17 Jul 2023 - Sat 22 Jul 2023

Rebranded to coincide with the release of the film of the same name, the Take That musical returns to the Midlands. Greatest Days, formerly The Band, is a fun tribute to the Manchester boys as it’s not only packed full of songs, it’s also a great show.

While it may be a jukebox musical, writer Tim Firth, best-known for penning Calendar Girls, was also determined it would be a strong story packed full of emotion.



And so we meet five teenage girls who love a boy band. Although the band is never named they’re five guys who belt out Take That songs, so it would be hard not to see them as a version of Take That. In typical teenage mode, these girls adore the very ground the band walk upon and when one of them wins tickets to see the boys in concert it’s their dream come true. After the gig, the girls swear undying friendship, pledging on their concert wristbands they will always be together.
But life and tragedy steps in and they drift apart. Until 25 years later and one of the girls wins tickets to see the band again, this time in Athens, so it’s a chance for a reunion – a reunion full of sadness but also joy.

At press night at Wolverhampton Grand Theatre Rachel Marwood stepped into the lead role of the older Rachel due to the unavailability of Kym Marsh. Marwood, who has been playing one of the other girls Heather, gives a confident and fully rounded Rachel. Here is a woman who has allowed events from the past to cloud her life and a reunion with her friends helps her re-think what really matters.

Stepping into the role of young Rachel in the absence of Kym Marsh’s daughter Emilie Cunliffe, was Evangeline Jarvis Jones who is a lively and excited teenager – a girl who loves her band and loves her friends.

On press night there was a reshuffle on a few roles but all of the female parts are played with plenty of enthusiasm and veracity – so many of us in the audience can see ourselves being reflected on stage.



Take That fans won’t be disappointed by the fact the band is never identified because the hits keep coming – A Million Love Songs, Back for Good, Could it Be Magic, Rule the World, Pray, Shine, Relight My Fire and It Only Takes a Minute among the nearly 20 tracks featured.

Under the resident directorship of Matt Wesley, the production though lacks some of the sparkles of the previous tour. Lucy Osborne’s set and costumes are functional rather than exciting, with much of the action taking place on a series of rotating steps. Aaron Renfree’s choreography keeps the show lively with some highly energetic dance moves across the cast but particularly from the boy band.

While jukebox musicals are ten-a-penny these days, Greatest Days does stand out because it works with the music bringing alive the story rather than the show just being a series of songs. It’s impressive how cleverly Firth worked the songs in so that they are very often a reflection of what’s happening on stage which succeeds in not only adding empathy to the tale but also giving new meaning to some of the songs.

At Wolverhampton Grand Theatre until 22 July, see here for information and tickets.

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!date 17/7/2023 -- 22/7/2023