On Tuesday evening I was lucky enough to be invited to see Abbey Musical Society’s (AMS) most recent performance, The Band, at the Coronation Hall, a beautiful 19th Century theatre based right on the edge of Cumbria’s scenic Lake District.
The Band is a jukebox musical, featuring the music of Take That, which follows five friends whose love for “the band” reunites them on a trip abroad after twenty five years of separation.
AMS has graced their local stages since 1949, so I had every confidence that they’d put on a good show. Despite this, I couldn’t help but wonder how Tim Firth – the show’s writer – turned this concept into a story. I was more than pleasantly surprised.
Upon walking in, I found the theatre populated with volunteers who were perfectly helpful when checking our tickets and showing us to our seats. My friend and I were seated towards the back, but this didn’t hinder our view of the stage thanks to the intimacy of the venue and tiered seating.
All about us other audience members chatted amongst themselves, some seemingly having reunions of their own as they spotted each other from across the stalls.
The atmosphere was lovely, the warmth and friendliness of the small town creative community shining from every corner of the auditorium.
The show starts exactly how you would expect, the usual teenage archetypes, the main character being late for school, her future self folding laundry and reminiscing on days gone by, but just as my friend and I exchanged our “I see where this is going” looks, the show took a turn.
The teenage dream of the 90s comes to an abrupt stop and instead becomes a heartfelt reflection on grief and attachment, allowing each character the space to tell their unique perspective in a way which felt grounded and genuinely moving.
AMS made great use of the minimalistic stage design, no matter what was or wasn’t on stage you immediately knew where we were through a lovely use of lighting and props.
Costumes communicated decade successfully while remaining characterful.
In terms of design AMS delivered on all fronts and I’m sure any Take That fan would appreciate the references scattered throughout the show alongside the soundtrack.
AMS did a great job with their casting, all singing roles were well delegated and performed to a high standard and the dance sequences had great energy and were clearly well rehearsed.
Performances were good across the board with the actors portraying complex characters with genuine care and depth of feeling. I was most taken aback by The Flood, the opening vocal performance from Mr Parrington was beautifully done and the lighting design continued to enhance the performance.
The only issue I found was in the mixing as no one seemed to be quite at the right volume, especially in moments where music and dialogue overlapped. This was mainly an issue in the first act however with a noticeable improvement after the interval, so presumably this will only
continue to improve with the show’s run.
I had a wonderful evening at the Coronation Hall and felt very well taken care of by all the volunteers, who I appreciate for spending their free time supporting such a wonderful hub for the arts.
AMS truly delivered on all fronts, I look forward to seeing what they get up to next!

Erika Fayyazi-Mickle (see website)