| the_band_programme_notes.docx |
The Band Introductory Notes
The Set
Act 1
The show opens with a view of a large television and fizzing screen, then we are in a teenager’s bedroom in the 1990s. The walls are angled and decorated with bright blue patterned wall paper, covered in huge larger than life pop idol posters of the ‘Take That’ band members.
On the left of the room is a large laundry basket next to a white dressing table with mirror, lamp, various potions in bottles and a stool. It has 3 narrow drawers on one side and a large shallow drawer above the cut away space for the stool.
Beyond the dressing table is a white door with a gaily patterned rucksack hanging from a hook on the back of the door. A white wardrobe, resting against the back wall is covered in normal size pop posters of the band. Centre back is a tall white chest of drawers with a television atop its six drawers. A single bed made from pine is angled in from the back wall, stretching into the centre. The floor of the room is covered in large, overlapping grey tiles. A large floor cushion in pink and blue dominates the centre of the stage.
The next setting is the locker room at school. The bedroom is dismantled and a bank of lockers, 5 above and 5 below, is wheeled into the empty space on the right. Behind are various large black boards, with calculations in white chalk.
At the gig a stage is set up high with a flight of steps on either side and flashing lights adding atmosphere at each side. Centre stage high above it a large black symbol of two T shapes one on top of the other is imprinted on a huge which disc. There are also 2 guitarists, on platforms one on each side of the stage and slightly lower than it.
After the gig a video of a real live bus appears and when it disappears the bus seats are wheeled on, the driver’s seat at the front on the left, rows of seats on either side and a full width back seat.
A golden chariot makes a brief appearance, with a halo of lights spreading out form its centre. Then we are on a hillside with a rocky outcrop. It’s a short-cut to the girls’ home town. Later a religious atmosphere is created by lights resembling stained glass windows representing the Virgin Mary and various saints appear above the girls.
Years later Rachel’s kitchen is assembled in front of us, with a small round table and four chairs. Outside Rachel’s house there’s a garden with fantasy flowers and greenery made from lights decorating the walls and ground and hanging from above in swathes of colour. There is a platform set among the hanging greenery.
In the airport: A stand full of duty-free shopping is rolled in and later an attendant brings in a crowd controller with stands and cord. Then the front of a huge jet plane appears with two sets of steps attached ,
ACT 2
In Prague. There’s a huge bill-board advertising the band. Later there’s an enormous neo- classical sculpture of Neptune bearing his trident and below him naked men and horses in a clustered group.
Next we’re inside a police station in Prague. It’s an obvious institution with pale, tiled walls and a door which is wooden below, with glass above.
The gig stage is a platform above, surrounded by banks of lights in blue and silver. The bus reappears but this time the driver sits on the other side. It’s a left hand-drive bus.
Then we’re in the aeroplane interior with aeroplane seats and we disembark into the airport arrivals lounge.
We’re back in Rachel’s kitchen and then return to the rock where in Act 1 the girls took in their surroundings. Now it’s lit in blue and looks even rockier and steeper than before.
The Characters and Cast
Young Claire is played by Sarah Kate Howarth. She has a slender frame with dark long hair, a broad forehead, blue almond shaped eyes a narrow chin and a broad smile. When young she wears the standard school uniform, white shirt, grey skirt and blue and yellow striped tie. At the gig she wears a multi-coloured striped A line dress, which shows off her slender figure. Older Claire is no longer slender but verging on the obese. She now has a chubby face with long kinky brown hair and for visiting Prague wears jeans and a flowery tunic top with a long purple cardigan over it. Old Claire is played by Alison Fitzjohn.
Young Heather is played by Katy Clayton. She has a round face with dimples, deep set eyes and long blonde hair. She is tall and slender. When young, she wears the school uniform, white shirt, grey jumper grey skirt and blue and yellow striped tie. For the gig she wears a swathe of boldly checked cotton in blues and yellows, draped artistically around her. Older Heather has mid-length fair hair and similar but older features, with dimples and deep set eyes. She has retained her slender figure and wears a grey skirt with a short flowered jacket over it. The older Heather is played by Emily Joyce.
Young Rachel is played by Faye Cristall. She is a chunky figure with mid-length brown hair. She has a large square face with narrow eyes, a broad smile, a snub nose and a rounded chin. We first see her in a dressing gown and pyjamas, then a white shirt with grey tie and grey pleated school uniform skirt. For the gig she turns up in a denim dress with a long pink jacket over the top. The older Rachel is still chunky and has retained her square shaped face but now has mid-length wavy brown hair. She wears a pair of denim jeans with a patterned tunic top, then a pair of grey jeans with a pink tunic top and grey long cardigan. The part of Older Rachel is played by Rachel Lumberg.
Young Zoe is slender and slightly stooped with dark straight hair, wide blue eyes and a square face. She wears the standard school uniform, with grey skirt, grey tie and white shirt but for the gig she wears an old fashioned yellow flowered summer dress, topped with a pale blue jacket. Lauren Jacobs plays this part. When older, Zoe seems to have gained height, has retained her slender shape and looks very elegant. Her hair is lighter and wavier, fashionably styled. Her face has become narrower. For her journey to Prague she wears a a smart jacket and calf length culottes in a tan colour. Jayne McKenna plays the part of Older Zoe.
Debbie is played by Rachel Diedricks. She has an elfin face, olive skin and dark hair complemented by smiling eyes and a wide mouth. She is slender and athletic-looking. Apart from her school uniform she wears a short, bright red skirt and a white faux fur jacket.
At the end of the show all the women wear long Grecian styled robes in pink, blue and yellow, except for Rachel, whose long Grecian type dress is in silvery satin embellished with sequins, embroidery and pearls.
The boys are played by AJ Bentley, Nick Carsberg, Curtis T Johns, Sario Soloman and Jazdan Qafouri. They are all good looking boys with a variety of fashionable hair styles from the 80s with handsome faces and dancers’ physiques. They wear an innumerable number of different outfits, including Roman centurion outfits with helmets and golden plated armour, pure white trousers and tops with a black line down the side of the trousers, hotel bell-boy outfits, high visibility jackets, dark trousers and tops under full length open white coats. The dark tops are changed, during the song, to red and then the red are shed for muscle- revealing black vest tops.
Jeff is played by Martin Miller. He is a stocky figure with plentiful grey hair, a square a face, deep-set eyes and a bulbous nose, a narrow mouth and square chin. He wears grey trousers with a white shirt, grey tie and blue jacket.
Andy Williams is played by Emery Dave. He is well-built with a receding hairline, a broad forehead with an oval face, narrow eyes a full mouth and rounded chin. He plays a variety of other parts including Dave the caretaker, Dave the roadie, Dave the bus driver and Dave the airport attendant.
The Set
Act 1
The show opens with a view of a large television and fizzing screen, then we are in a teenager’s bedroom in the 1990s. The walls are angled and decorated with bright blue patterned wall paper, covered in huge larger than life pop idol posters of the ‘Take That’ band members.
On the left of the room is a large laundry basket next to a white dressing table with mirror, lamp, various potions in bottles and a stool. It has 3 narrow drawers on one side and a large shallow drawer above the cut away space for the stool.
Beyond the dressing table is a white door with a gaily patterned rucksack hanging from a hook on the back of the door. A white wardrobe, resting against the back wall is covered in normal size pop posters of the band. Centre back is a tall white chest of drawers with a television atop its six drawers. A single bed made from pine is angled in from the back wall, stretching into the centre. The floor of the room is covered in large, overlapping grey tiles. A large floor cushion in pink and blue dominates the centre of the stage.
The next setting is the locker room at school. The bedroom is dismantled and a bank of lockers, 5 above and 5 below, is wheeled into the empty space on the right. Behind are various large black boards, with calculations in white chalk.
At the gig a stage is set up high with a flight of steps on either side and flashing lights adding atmosphere at each side. Centre stage high above it a large black symbol of two T shapes one on top of the other is imprinted on a huge which disc. There are also 2 guitarists, on platforms one on each side of the stage and slightly lower than it.
After the gig a video of a real live bus appears and when it disappears the bus seats are wheeled on, the driver’s seat at the front on the left, rows of seats on either side and a full width back seat.
A golden chariot makes a brief appearance, with a halo of lights spreading out form its centre. Then we are on a hillside with a rocky outcrop. It’s a short-cut to the girls’ home town. Later a religious atmosphere is created by lights resembling stained glass windows representing the Virgin Mary and various saints appear above the girls.
Years later Rachel’s kitchen is assembled in front of us, with a small round table and four chairs. Outside Rachel’s house there’s a garden with fantasy flowers and greenery made from lights decorating the walls and ground and hanging from above in swathes of colour. There is a platform set among the hanging greenery.
In the airport: A stand full of duty-free shopping is rolled in and later an attendant brings in a crowd controller with stands and cord. Then the front of a huge jet plane appears with two sets of steps attached ,
ACT 2
In Prague. There’s a huge bill-board advertising the band. Later there’s an enormous neo- classical sculpture of Neptune bearing his trident and below him naked men and horses in a clustered group.
Next we’re inside a police station in Prague. It’s an obvious institution with pale, tiled walls and a door which is wooden below, with glass above.
The gig stage is a platform above, surrounded by banks of lights in blue and silver. The bus reappears but this time the driver sits on the other side. It’s a left hand-drive bus.
Then we’re in the aeroplane interior with aeroplane seats and we disembark into the airport arrivals lounge.
We’re back in Rachel’s kitchen and then return to the rock where in Act 1 the girls took in their surroundings. Now it’s lit in blue and looks even rockier and steeper than before.
The Characters and Cast
Young Claire is played by Sarah Kate Howarth. She has a slender frame with dark long hair, a broad forehead, blue almond shaped eyes a narrow chin and a broad smile. When young she wears the standard school uniform, white shirt, grey skirt and blue and yellow striped tie. At the gig she wears a multi-coloured striped A line dress, which shows off her slender figure. Older Claire is no longer slender but verging on the obese. She now has a chubby face with long kinky brown hair and for visiting Prague wears jeans and a flowery tunic top with a long purple cardigan over it. Old Claire is played by Alison Fitzjohn.
Young Heather is played by Katy Clayton. She has a round face with dimples, deep set eyes and long blonde hair. She is tall and slender. When young, she wears the school uniform, white shirt, grey jumper grey skirt and blue and yellow striped tie. For the gig she wears a swathe of boldly checked cotton in blues and yellows, draped artistically around her. Older Heather has mid-length fair hair and similar but older features, with dimples and deep set eyes. She has retained her slender figure and wears a grey skirt with a short flowered jacket over it. The older Heather is played by Emily Joyce.
Young Rachel is played by Faye Cristall. She is a chunky figure with mid-length brown hair. She has a large square face with narrow eyes, a broad smile, a snub nose and a rounded chin. We first see her in a dressing gown and pyjamas, then a white shirt with grey tie and grey pleated school uniform skirt. For the gig she turns up in a denim dress with a long pink jacket over the top. The older Rachel is still chunky and has retained her square shaped face but now has mid-length wavy brown hair. She wears a pair of denim jeans with a patterned tunic top, then a pair of grey jeans with a pink tunic top and grey long cardigan. The part of Older Rachel is played by Rachel Lumberg.
Young Zoe is slender and slightly stooped with dark straight hair, wide blue eyes and a square face. She wears the standard school uniform, with grey skirt, grey tie and white shirt but for the gig she wears an old fashioned yellow flowered summer dress, topped with a pale blue jacket. Lauren Jacobs plays this part. When older, Zoe seems to have gained height, has retained her slender shape and looks very elegant. Her hair is lighter and wavier, fashionably styled. Her face has become narrower. For her journey to Prague she wears a a smart jacket and calf length culottes in a tan colour. Jayne McKenna plays the part of Older Zoe.
Debbie is played by Rachel Diedricks. She has an elfin face, olive skin and dark hair complemented by smiling eyes and a wide mouth. She is slender and athletic-looking. Apart from her school uniform she wears a short, bright red skirt and a white faux fur jacket.
At the end of the show all the women wear long Grecian styled robes in pink, blue and yellow, except for Rachel, whose long Grecian type dress is in silvery satin embellished with sequins, embroidery and pearls.
The boys are played by AJ Bentley, Nick Carsberg, Curtis T Johns, Sario Soloman and Jazdan Qafouri. They are all good looking boys with a variety of fashionable hair styles from the 80s with handsome faces and dancers’ physiques. They wear an innumerable number of different outfits, including Roman centurion outfits with helmets and golden plated armour, pure white trousers and tops with a black line down the side of the trousers, hotel bell-boy outfits, high visibility jackets, dark trousers and tops under full length open white coats. The dark tops are changed, during the song, to red and then the red are shed for muscle- revealing black vest tops.
Jeff is played by Martin Miller. He is a stocky figure with plentiful grey hair, a square a face, deep-set eyes and a bulbous nose, a narrow mouth and square chin. He wears grey trousers with a white shirt, grey tie and blue jacket.
Andy Williams is played by Emery Dave. He is well-built with a receding hairline, a broad forehead with an oval face, narrow eyes a full mouth and rounded chin. He plays a variety of other parts including Dave the caretaker, Dave the roadie, Dave the bus driver and Dave the airport attendant.
