Take That musical Greatest Days at the Mayflower - Our review

Nostalgia is a powerful tool and Greatest Days strikes just the right note of it.

Hot on the heels of the announcement that Gary Barlow, Mark Owen and Howard Donald will once again grace the St Mary's pitch next summer, the musical they co-created rolled back into Southampton.

Now renamed to bring it in line with the recently released movie version which, by the way, is inferior to the stage show, there was lots of love in the room as the musical enjoyed its third run at Mayflower Theatre. 

While impossible to recreate the hysteria that met the surprise appearance of Take That's current trio when The Band premiered here six years ago, the joy was genuine and the standing ovation wholehearted. 

This is not Take That's story, it's the at times heart-warming and at times tear-jerking story of their fans and, in particular, five teenagers for whom, back in 1993, the band mean everything.

We meet them as they reunite 25 years later, learning their back story of love and loss to the soundtrack of smash hits from the back catalogue, including Rule the World, Relight My Fire, The Flood and Never Forget. 

READ MORE: How to get tickets for Take That in Southampton

A universally exceptional cast bring to life this ensemble piece from the pen of Calendar Girls creator Tim Firth, which is both poignant and funny with lots of lovely nods to the 90s. 

Creating the soundtrack to the lives of the girls, the boys burst out of lockers, are on airport runways and leap onto hillside rocks to bring us the tunes from a jukebox musical I'd put on a par with Mamma Mia. 

I'm about as close to the show's  target audience as you can get, but you don't need to be a 40 something Thatter to appreciate an utterly brilliant piece of theatre.

It's one hell of a (Take That and) party.

Greatest Days runs until Saturday. Tickets are on sale now from mayflower.org.uk or by calling 023 8071 1811.