The Empire: 'Wonderful. A lifelong love letter to the theatre' Reverend Richard Coles

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It has a fabulous, colourful cast of characters, all of whom have connections to The Empire and their stories seamlessly wove together in the book.

The Empire – Michael Ball Fan Club

If that wasn’t bad enough, her step-grandson (not much younger than the lady herself) is a drunken, gambling coward with an overbearing mother and between them they also attempt to undermine the efforts of the arty types running the show. It's the 1920s. Everywhere, people are still reeling from the after-effects of the war. In particular, the town of Highbridge and the fabulous folk trying to make the Empire theatre a success, despite sabotage and skullduggery This may not be the kind of work that wins the Booker prize, but it is highly entertaining, will undoubtedly sell well and will have members of the Michael Ball fan club in raptures. Here he meets Grace, who he feels an immediate attraction to. But there's no time for that! Grace is extremely busy, working alongside a select 'cast' trying to keep open the theatre that they love. The Empire is under threat from a rival theatre owner and they are determined that he will not get his hands on it.An absolutely brilliant debut novel, just show Michale Ball has another string in his bow that of author, is there anything he can’t turn his hand to? Thank you for bringing the theatre to us readers. Superb. This book is written by someone who obviously loves, and enjoys, working in the theatre. It is easy to read and is a warm comforting book, like a cosy blanket you enjoy curling up with. The characters are very realistic, everyone has a good and a bad side just like in life. The plot takes the reader, and theatregoer in us, behind the curtain to the running of a theatre with its fair share of ups, downs and secrets. Not only are many of the themes and characters similar to those of the great Yorkshireman but the setting is in that county when he was in his pomp—the early 1920s. Michael Ball turns his hand to writing with his fiction debut, The Empire . From the aftermath of the Great War, to the Roaring Twenties, to the Blitz, Michael's brand new series will tell the story of the high notes and low notes of British musical theatre in all its glamour, greasepaint and glory.

Michael Ball turns his hand to writing - Michael Ball Michael Ball turns his hand to writing - Michael Ball

I loved the feel of this book. It was a joy to listen to and was so effortless to slip into. It had some great characters, the plot was steady and entertaining and the whole thing just felt easy. Although I found this to be a well written and informative novel about the world of theatre it sadly left me feeling unmoved, failing to hold my interest and I will not be reading the sequel. Don’t let me put you off reading this though, as if you are a fan of Michael Ball and the world of theatre, it will probably appeal to you. In 2007 Michael made his BBC Proms debut with An Evening with Michael Ball at the Royal Albert Hall, which marked the first time a musical theatre star had been given a solo concert at the Proms. In 2016 he released Together with friend and singer Alfie Boe, with the album becoming the UK’s best-selling album of 2016; and in 2020 they released their first festive album, Together at Christmas. The Empire evokes the grandeur and magic of the theatre setting, the excitement, hard work and extravagance of staging a show, especially when it’s a make or break situation. I loved the sense of camaraderie between the actors and crew, once one or two had been put in their place, but regardless of that, things don’t always run smoothly. There’s more going on behind the scenes than on the stage.

For his literary debut, Ball has immersed himself in the world of perhaps the greatest author of novels such as The Good Companions set in and around the theatre, J B Priestley. The Empire came up on NetGalley’s list, and I liked the sound of it. With other celebrity authors, though, I’ve had trouble getting rid of their voice. Would Michael Ball be different? The only way to find out is to read it. Michael Ball sets the scene well. His writing is cinematic and I can easily imagine the story being filmed. I found the whole world of the theatre enthralling. I was interested in what went on in putting on a show. This is a fabulous story and one that I really adored. It has the razzmatazz and the glamour, it also has the shady and the undesirable, but all the way through this story the feeling of "the show must go on" is one that resonated with me. No matter what the pitfalls there is always something to work toward, whether it is in the belief of others around you or accepting that you are capable of being successful, there is always a glimmer of the possible. This is a story of a fight for survival in what was a competitive market at this time (a different fight to nowadays). Being set in the twenties there are aspects of class conflict, as well as business conflict. There are a whole cast of different characters from within the theatre and in the wider area. This is an enjoyable tale with enough twists to keep things moving along nicely. There is even a hint at the end that there might be a sequel.