Take the review – the stadium redux of the Circus tour has razzle-dazzle | Take It

Take Which has never been shy when it comes to renovating the past. In 2018, they followed up the two best-known compilations with Odyssey, a masterpiece produced by Stuart Price in which they “reimagined” their biggest hits. Around the same time, team captain Gary Barlow – who is now managing just two of his teammates, Mark Owen and Howard Donald – was very candid about the team’s standing as a legacy more rooted in ticket sales than streams. “Even if (the album) turns out to be crap, we’ll still go next year and play to 600,000 people.”

Fast forward eight years and the band has abandoned studio time and is instead “reimagining” a classic tour. And not just any trip. When it first played in theaters in the summer of 2009, Take That Presents The Circus became the fastest-selling box office hit in UK history, grossing over $40m. Without a clear marker, on paper the show’s unusual reboot (although the DVD release broke sales records) sounds like a profit-seeking venture with an interest in production.

In fact, when the big blue hot air balloon floats above the slightly drunken crowd, all the cynicism seems to disappear. Although the line-up hasn’t changed – Owen’s fronted Babe has replaced Jason Orange’s Wooden Boat, while recent single You’re a Superstar provides an excuse to take a toilet break – his focus on their big gold-plated songs means that by the end of the show they’re already rocking with Pray, A Million Love Songs and Back for Good. Finally, the B section features water fountains, before a large elephant emerges from the bottom of the stage to lead them to the Big Top-accented main stage.

Everywhere you look there are sights. A troupe of dancers shares the stage with firecrackers, tightrope walkers, eagles (one, Joe, gets stuck in a hot air balloon after failing to descend), trapeze artists, trampolinists and – what? – a pilot with curly hair. During Relight My Fire everyone involved seems to be holding a naked flame of some description, dancing in front of the demonic ringmaster. Amidst the high-octane set of the show, the three stars try to keep the attention, busting out classic It Only Takes a Minute choreography during the high-octane 90s medley, and donning a classic jaunty shine. Howard and Mark also try their hand at unicycling, while Butlin’s wearer Gary rides a child’s bike with exercise equipment.

Although some pop events use the concept freely, here the circus theme does not stop. During Never Forget, the trio are joined by a marching band and dancers, while a 30ft elephant also makes a brief appearance inside the enclosure. At the end of Rule the World, however, it’s the only band lit by phone lights, which are affected by a chorus of muffled voices. It’s a great moment and a reminder that despite the feeling of deja vu, and how expensive it is for any reboot, it’s Take It’s undeniable music that people can’t get enough of.