A lesson in reading the synopsis thoroughly before setting expectations.
From a very brief skim of the description, I went in expecting a joyous celebration of Sheffield and its music history but was instead met with a somber series of monologues.
Written by Chris Bush, each monologue covered a range of experiences from political letdown to football success, but none of them could be described as cheerful.
Certainly they brought out other traits to be applauded – courage and resilience – through acting that can’t be faulted, each story told with emotion, warmth and depth, all sharing a little bit more of the history of a city I previously knew little about.
The music was my incentive for watching in the first place, and lived up to expectations with fabulous performances covering bands Sheffield birthed from the Arctic Monkeys to Def Leppard. These rousing performances sat between each monologue making for a bizarre contrast in energy and atmosphere.
It was an excellent show, but not one I’d recommend if you’re already suffering from the covid blues.
You can stream The Band Plays On until Sunday 28th March 2021 via the Sheffield Theatre website
https://www.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk/the-band-plays-on.
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Katie Reviews 