Review: The Band Plays On, filmed at Sheffield Theatres

Source: The Band Plays On | Sheffield Theatres

I have got a week off this week - and I needed it bad! Especially in the sleep department - but I also wanted to do a couple more reviews/catch up on one or two things. 

While I aim to FINALLY watch Ma Rainey's Black Bottom as the OSCAR nominations have been announced, today I have transported to Sheffield to watch a brand new play: The Band Plays On. 

Now I may be a Lancashire lass through and through, but believe it not, I do have some Yorkshire blood in me. See my Mum is Sheffield born and bred, and I still have family who live there, so the city has a special place in my heart. And this play is all about celebrating the city of steel and its people, in particular, women. 

The Band Plays On is a series of monologues from 5 different women telling stories across history referencing events in the city, or of its people. From Jessica-Ennis Hill, to its political life under Nick Clegg, a 19th-century flood and more. And leading from one monologue to the next, we get songs from the city's best-loved artists, from The Artic Monkeys to Jarvis Cocker. 

Each monologue gets more and more interesting as they go on, ultimately celebrating the community that I have loved ever since I was little, visiting my Grandad - warm, friendly, and incredibly strong. 

What helps with that is the 5 incredible women that they have put together, almost all of whom I have seen perform live at some point: Jodie Prenger (Tell Me On A Sunday), Jocasta Almgill (RENT), Anna Jane Casey (Mack and Mabel), Sandra Marvin (Romantics Anonymous), and Maimuna Memon (the only one I hadn't seen before but I've heard she was insane in Regents Park's JCS).  

Each of their performances, as well as Chris Bush's wonderful writing, will hit you in a different way, and there is something to either identify with, or to take away from each story; whether that be disappointment, pride, heartbreak - but they all are stories of strength and resilience in some way. Well resilience and community, especially at the end of Jodie's monologue, and how all the characters we've met so far come together. 

As someone who has Sheffield blood in me, I loved this play. It brought back so many memories of the city I've loved visiting all my life - and is now making me look forward to meeting up with my cousins there again, with them taking me to a fancy brunch place. 

This for me is worth a watch. It's ultimately a celebration: of women, of Sheffield, and of its history and its strength. You can get your tickets here for The Band Plays On: The Band Plays On | Sheffield Theatres and it is on demand until 28th March.