by Callum McAvoy, reporter

Jukebox musical perfectly balances the greatest hits of Take That with a heart-warming and hilarious story about friendship.

Currently on their UK tour, ahead of their West End debut in December, The Band tells the story of a group of childhood friends who share a deep love for the music of ‘the band’. They reunite after 25 years in a bid to meet their heroes at last.

This may seem odd to those who watched BBC’s Let It Shine, the competition whose winners star as the fabled boy band. The show made it seem like their narrative would be the sole focus, but instead the five lads are relegated to the background.

And all the better for it. The cast of characters we instead follow will you have crying with laughter one minute and then fighting back the tears the next. Both the younger and older generations of actresses are given plenty of time in the limelight and all of them deliver on all fronts.

That is not to say that the Band themselves do not contribute much. Their segments are incredibly fun, suddenly popping out of the sets when you least expect it.

On that note, the set design and production must be credited. We are transported across locations and time zones seamlessly, whilst simultaneously everything feels straight out of a set of a music video, Take That probably made. It’s a unique aesthetic and one that adds to the feel-good nature of the show.

The music is, as you would expect, fantastically performed and gets even the most pessimistic audience members rocking along in their seats.

Usually, Jukebox musicals do not turn into big hits, with the likes of ABBA’s Mamma Mia one of the very few exceptions. So often the problem, is their inability to match up iconic songs with a compelling plot. Many a time a chart-topping anthem is simply thrown into the mix just for the sake of it being there with no impact on the story or characters.

Fortunately, The Band for the most part has not such problems, expertly interweaving everything from, Shine to Rule the World to Never Forget, into appropriate moments.

The characters even make fun of this in several scenes, where one asks if there is a song fitting for the occasion but is quickly dismissed only for the right tune to kick in.

In The Band, there is something for everyone. It is musical that caters not only for die-hard Take That fans, but also those looking for a show with humour and heartbreak, pop music and poignancy, but most importantly, leaves you smiling and surprised.