The Band – Bradford Alhambra

TAKE THAT could probably stick their songs on stage with any old script, call it a musical, and the money would roll in.

Credit to the boy band veterans, then, that they surrounded themselves with a top creative team who really knew about producing for the theatre. The result is a show to excite and delight every Take That fan, and thoroughly entertain the rest of us who liked the songs but never actually fancied the guys.

Calendar Girls writer Tim Firth’s script works on all levels: hilarious, dramatic and poignant for anyone who gets emotional when they recall a pop song from a moment in their lives. Classic songs are inserted into the plot with imagination and theatrical flair, from spectacular concert anthems to touching ballads.

The Band follows a group of girls, first as 16-year-olds attending a concert by their idols, then 25 years later as they travel to Prague to watch the reunited group. Act One is a cut above the usual ‘jukebox musical’, but it’s in Act Two where the show really shines as the songs and stories seamlessly intertwine to huge emotional effect.

• Until Saturday October 28. Visit bradford-theatres.co.uk or call 01274 432000.

David Knights