The Band (The Take That Musical) at Newcastle Theatre Royal

I have been so over excited about The Band (aka "the Take That musical"), coming to Newcastle Theatre Royal this month. I have been talking about it non stop and have had the date written in my diary ever since the tour dates got announced.

You see, when I was a kid, I had a band ....

Confessions over first, I am THE biggest boyband fan, I don't care that I should have grown out of boys with floppy fringes and cheesy grins two decades ago (gulp!) - they are my weakness and my favourite teenage memories revolve around chasing after boys in bands.

When I was 11 I obsessively watched the "Take That & Party" video on repeat, at 15 my room was covered in posters of Ronan Keating and by 17 I was bunking off college to go boyband chasing in London (sorry Mum!).

To this day some of my oldest friends are girls that I met during my boyband stalking days. Lifelong friendships forged at the back of a radio station while waiting for a boyband, we grew up together, bonded by love of "our boys" but supporting each other through every high and low of our young lives.

And, I'm sure I'm not the only teenager from the 1990s with this story to tell!

Knowing that seeing The Band would be the ultimate girl's night I invited my friend Kelly out for a night of reminiscing. We couldn't wait to recapture that teenage hysteria and spend an evening laughing at our teenage selves whilst swooning over boyband members that we're far too old to fancy!

Written by Tim Firth and directed by Kim Gavin (who fellow Take That fans will know has created the band's iconic stage shows since the 1990s!), The Band opens by introducing us to a group of five 16 year old girls in 1993 whose friendship centres around being obsessed with the boyband that adorns their bedroom walls and lockers at school.

Obsessing over last night's performance on "Top of the Pops" and desperately learning dance routines, we join Claire, Heather, Rachel, Zoe and Debbie at a point in time where the band are an essential part of their lives - helping them to cope with the dramas of arguing parents, school tests and snogging boys.

The girls are untouchable, until a tragedy strikes that changes their lives and friendship forever.

Fast forward 25 years and the girls decide to track down the band and attend their reunion gig in Prague. Leaving their kids, husbands and secrets behind them in England they climb on board a plane for a journey of self discovery, acceptance and finally facing the troubles of their past.

The Band is a wonderful story of friendship, love and loss and had us bawling our eyes out, laughing our heads off and completely lost in nostalgia. Beautifully narrated by the ghost like figures of The Band who slip in and out of scenes and treat us to some of the most amazing pop songs ever written, it's the kind of show that will make you pull all of your Take That tapes out of the loft and start tracking down old school friends you've lost touch with.

I loved spending my evening singing along to the songs of my youth and there were a few moments during the concert scenes where I felt 15 again, singing along to "Do What You Like" and "Could It Be Magic" and looking round the theatre I certainly wasn't the only one!

From the moment we were greeted at the theatre to the Ceefax pages to the curtains lifting to the opening credits of Top of the Pops I was lost in 90s heaven and had the most wonderful evening remembering things that I had long forgotten.

The Band is the fastest selling musical theatre tour of all time and only a few weeks ago it was announced that the show will be opening in London's West End this Christmas, so make sure you see the show in Newcastle before it's too late!

The Band is on at the Newcastle Theatre Royal until Saturday 14 April. Tickets cost from £19.50 and you can buy yours here.

I was invited to Press Night of The Band and was given two complimentary tickets in exchange for this honest review.