THEATRE REVIEW: The Band Plays On at Sheffield Crucible

Sheffield Theatres' latest celebration of South Yorkshire spirit is now online, as the Crucible invites a virtual audience to explore their shared history and consider how their roots have shaped them.

SHEFFIELD Theatres' latest celebration of South Yorkshire spirit is now online, as the writer Chris Bush invites a virtual audience to explore their shared history and consider how their roots have shaped them.

Live theatre is one of the many casualties of the Covid-19 pandemic, but live-streamed shows are the industry’s attempt to fill the hole, and Monday night saw the release of new show The Band Plays On.

Would the energy, tension and attraction of the stage performance hold up across a broadband connection?

I’m happy to report there was no temptation to idly reach for my phone for a scroll mid-show, as I'll admit might happen during a TV show.

The Band Plays On, penned by Standing on the Sky’s Edge writer Bush, had me hooked from the opening chords of Arctic Monkeys’ I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor and wouldn’t let go until 90 minutes or so later.

The format is simple - short monologues delivered in turn by the five-strong, all-female cast, each bookended by a live performance by the acting quintet of a song penned in Sheffield.

As well as …Dancefloor, these include Def Leppard's Pour Some Sugar on Me, Dave Berry’s The Crying Game, and a stunning group version of Slow Club's 2012 track Beginners.

As for the stories, these are tales that twist and turn and occasionally take you by surprise but at the same time they are accessible, relatable and recognisably rooted in South Yorkshire (listen out for a name check for Rotherham).

The unspoken spectre of the Miners' Strike hovers behind Anna-Jane Casey’s account of one dad's ill-conceived project to build a nuclear shelter, while Sandra Marvin draws parallels between the Hillsborough disaster and a devastating 19th century flood.

Jocasta Almgill explores politics through the prism of family tradition, and Jodie Prenger weaves a story of hope and despair in the context of Sheffield’s feted “sanctuary” status.

The multi-talented Maimuna Memon, who plays guitar and violin during the show, highlights Sheffield's role as football's pioneer city through the eyes of one young recruit to the beautiful game.

Director Robert Hastie has made the most of staging a show mid-pandemic – with no need to stick to the stage - having Memon lead us through the bowels of the Crucible while spinning her yarn.

The absence of an audience also means the monologues are delivered mostly to camera, Talking Heads-style.

The actors share a stage but are separated by plastic screens, while their non-speaking fellow musicians are masked. And yes, there is the inevitable odd reference to Zoom.

The cast hold the viewer in sway with a combination of compelling material and storytelling skills.

There is intimacy and insight amid the tent-pole topics, notably the realisation that parents aren't the superheroes we initially view them as, but also the acceptance that it's OK.

There's human fragility but also strength; heartbreak but also hope; disappointment but also delight; realism but also ballsy bravado.

Above all, The Band Plays On tells stories of coping, of getting by - something we've all had to master in the past year - while keeping an eye out for those sparks of light in the darkness.