Never Forget

Could it be magic? The screaming fans that greeted the cast at stage door certainly thought so. The songs of Take That provide the basis for this new musical, and the result is as cheesy, camp and crowd-pleasing as you’d expect.

Never Forget is the latest addition to the so-called ‘jukebox musical’ genre begun by Mamma Mia! It’s an odd labelling given that the point of a jukebox is to play a mix of songs, not one band’s back catalogue, but it seems to have stuck.

Unlike the songs of Abba or Queen, the greatest hits of Take That pretty much share one theme. A Million Love Songs – or at least a dozen, including that modern classic itself – provide the soundtrack to the story of an everyday boy meets girl tale. That is, a boy meets girl tale in which the boy becomes the lead singer in a Take That tribute band, succumbs to temptation and betrays those closest to him before learning some valuable lessons about love, loyalty and responsibility.

If it sounds a little contrived and silly…well, it is unashamedly contrived and silly, but it’s also very entertaining. On press night the audience became so hyped up that they frequently couldn’t decide whether to laugh, clap, sing along or just listen. When chords signal the start of Back for Good and rain begins the fall, there was a palpable sense of collective nostalgia for the recent past.

As the BBC’s Any Dream Will Do recent demonstrated to great effect, Take That songs are not easy to sing. Gary Barlow has an impressive range, and in Dean Chisnall director Ed Curtis has found the perfect singer, dancer and unassuming heartthrob to play him. Craig Els looks nothing like Robbie Williams, but is great in the cheeky chappie role of Jake, and Stephane Anelli is unrecognisable from his Saturday Night Fever days as the Spaniard who fills the band’s Jason Orange vacancy.

If the female performers – Nancy Sullivan as girlfriend-next-door Chloe and Alexis Owen-Hobbs as record company temptress Annie – are less impressive, then it’s largely due to unforgiving musical arrangements that require them to belt, generally at the expense of tone and clarity.

Karen Bruce’s choreography is ambitious and at times the cast do struggle to keep up, but when they get into their stride it makes for some dazzling displays. The second half sees a visit to a seedy nightclub transformed into a burlesque hallucination that briefly takes the entire production into darker, edgier territory. Of course, things are soon back on track for both young lovers and fledgling tribute act, and the finale is as light and fluffy as can be. A sea of raised arms greets the chorus of the title song, and the balcony vibrated as faithful fans got to their feet to dance, clap and reminisce.