Photo Flash: THE BAND Starts Gig at The Marlowe Next Month

Tim Firth's new musical tells of what it's like to grow up with a boyband. For five 16-year-old friends in 1992, "the band" is everything. And 25 years on, the audience is reunited with the friends, now 40-something women, as they try to once more fulfil their dream of meeting their heroes.

The soundtrack to the women's lives includes the Take That songs Never Forget, Back For Good, A Million Love Songs, Greatest Day, The Flood, Relight My Fire, Shine and Rule The World.

The Band will be played by AJ Bentley, from Ashford, Nick Carsberg, Curtis T Johns, Yazdan Qafouri and Sario Solomon, who, as Five to Five, won BBC's Let It Shine. Playing the parts of Rachel and Young Rachel will be Rachel Lumberg and Faye Christall respectively.

The Band is produced by David Pugh and Dafydd Rogers and Gary Barlow, Howard Donald, Mark Owen, Robbie Williams, who said: "We are incredibly proud and excited that our first production as theatre producers is The Band - a musical that we think will touch the hearts of not just our fans, but everyone."

The Band is at The Marlowe Theatre from Tuesday 20 February to Saturday 3 March, with various performance times. There are limited tickets available, priced from £20.75 to £50.75, from the Box Office on 01227 787787, and marlowetheatre.com. See the website for details of the audio-described and signed performances.

Faye Christall as Young Rachel (centre) with Five To Five as The Band in The Band, credit Matt Crockett

AJ Bentley, Curtis T Johns, Sario Solomon, Nick Carsberg and Yazdan Qafouri in The Band, credit Matt Crockett

AJ Bentley, Curtis T Johns, Sario Solomon, Yazdan Qafouri and Nick Carsberg in The Band, credit Matt Crockett

Alison Fitzjohn as Claire, Emily Joyce as Heather, Jayne Mckenna as Zoe and Rachel Lumberg as Rachel in The Band, credit Matt Crockett

Alison Fitzjohn as Claire, Jayne Mckenna as Zoe, Rachel Lumberg as Rachel & Emily Joyce as Heather with Five To Five in The Band, credit Matt Crockett

Alison Fitzjohn as Claire, Rachel Lumberg as Rachel, Emily Joyce as Heather and Jayne Mckenna as Zoe in The Band, credit Matt Crockett

Sarah Kate Howarth, Rachelle Diedericks, Faye Christall, Katy Clatyon & Lauren Jacobs with Five To Five in The Band, credit Matt Crockett

Jayne Mckenna as Zoe, Rachel Lumberg as Rachel, Emily Joyce as Heather & Alison Fitzjohn as Claire, with Five To Five as The Band in The Band, credit Matt Crockett

Rachelle Diedericks, Faye Christall, Katy Clayton, Sarah Kate Howarth & Lauren Jacobs in The Band, credit Matt Crockett

Rachelle Diedericks, Sarah Kate Howarth, Faye Christall, Lauren Jacobs & Katy Clayton in The Band, credit Matt Crockett

Sario Solomon, Nick Carsberg, Curtis T Johns, Yazdan Qafouri and AJ Bentley in The Band, credit Matt Crockett

Yazdan Qafouri, Curtis T Johns, Nick Carsberg, AJ Bentley and Sario Solomon in The Band, credit Matt Crockett

Rachel Lumberg as Rachel and Martin Miller as Jeff in The Band, credit Matt Crockett

Rachel Lumberg as Rachel and Martin Miller as Jeff in The Band, credit Matt Crockett

Rachel Lumberg as Rachel with Five To Five as The Band in The Band, credit Matt Crockett

Rachelle Diedericks as Debbie with Five To Five as The Band in The Band, credit Matt Crockett

The cast of The Band, credit Matt Crockett