Review: Here & Now - The Steps Musical (UK & Ireland Tour)

Review by Daz Gale

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

After its acclaimed premiere run in Birmingham last year, Here & Now is stepping out on a tour all over the UK and Ireland, lighting up the world one city at a time. After falling in love with the show in a big way last year, I'd have certainly been a deeper shade of blue if my response this time around was any less steptacular than the first. The question is how many more Steps puns can I fit into this review, and would my attempts to shoehorn them in as clumsily as some jukebox musicals have the tendency to do be a tragedy?

Featuring the songs of Steps, Here & Now uses them to tell the story of four co-workers and friends at the seaside superstore “Better Best Bargains” (do you see what they did there?). After facing challenges in each of their lives, Caz (Rebecca Lock) challenges them to make a pact for a “summer of love”” which would see them take a chance on a happy ending, all before her 50th birthday two weeks later. When secrets, lies and betrayal are revealed along the way, it turns out it’s going to be more than just their hearts that are on the line.

If that doesn’t sound like the most taxing of plots, you’d be right, but then it is along the same lines as Mamma Mia! being focused on the repercussions of Donna in her hookup era, just like Robbie (Blake Patrick Anderson) is here. Yes, it can be silly at times, and not make sense at others - however, I pushed the thoughts asking why there is a big focus on Valentine’s Day during a summer of love out of my head and just embraced the camp madness that is this show, and that is when Here & Now truly shines.

Shaun Kitchener’s book is full of delights with many a witty one-liner. The laugh-out-loud moments have been carefully curated, extending past the dialogue to be matched with an abundance of visual gags and Easter eggs (not literally, though during this particular summer, anything’s possible) that will delight every kind of Steps fan from the most casual to the most obsessed. If, of course, you are not a Steps fan, the first step is admitting you have a problem, but not to worry - nobody’s perfect. Though, in all seriousness, there really is something for everyone in Here & Now. If you fail to understand the niche joke about a pasta dish or the much more universal name of the bin, you can still enjoy this as a musical in its own right, which has plenty to entertain everyone from pretty much every walk of life, as visible by the beautiful span of generations at the performance I attended.

The real genius is in how Kitchener inserts these classic songs into the show. A Steps fan himself, the songs have been inserted in ways that can be both clever and fun. Yes, there is the element of shoehorning and tenuous links at times, but these are done with a knowing wink to the audience. Numbers such as ‘Stomp’, ‘Last Thing On My Mind’ and ‘It’s The Way You Make Me Feel’ are all used in a genius manner. What you may not realise about Steps’ songs is how mournful a lot of their lyrics can be - when you take down the upbeat nature of the music, the lyrics are more somber than you might expect, in what can be referred to as “heartbreak disco”. This lends them perfectly to a musical theatre setting, beautifully moving the story along, with love as the overarching theme, as these friends, their new lovers, acquaintances, and exes all navigate the many complexities and frustrations of that key theme. An inspired use of one of their slower numbers, ‘Heartbeat,’ changes the narrative of the song completely in one of the more emotive moments of the show that will certainly pull at the heartstrings.

“That’s all well and good, but how the Hell do they fit in 5,6,7,8?” I hear you cry. The answer to that brings us to one of the standout sequences of Here & Now as the Better Best Bargains employees take on the half-price hoedown, performing the classic number that originally set Steps up as a one-and-done line-dancing novelty act and truly embracing the madness of it. It’s a joyful sequence, and one that encapsulates the very best of jukebox musicals. Another bold and inspired touch is the, perhaps, unexpected placement of Steps’ defining number ‘Tragedy’. Kicking off Act Two with a bang, if you are late back to your seat from the interval, you are missing out on one of the greatest moments in the show.

Crucially, Kitchener’s book works because it isn’t just humour with no substance; it also carries with it an abundance of heart. This is amplified in Rachel Kavanaugh’s magnificent direction, matching Kitchener’s writing to form a working relationship that sets these characters and world up beautifully. An unashamedly big musical, Kavanaugh’s choices fill every inch of the stage (in this case, the particularly looming Manchester Opera House) with fun, frolics, and fabulousness. Perfectly achieving the balance of playfulness while not undermining any of the serious issues that are present, the result is a joyous romp that speaks to the very nature of not just Steps, but what musical theatre can do at its best.

Matt Cole’s choreography is another highlight in Here & Now, with the Olivier Award-winning choreographer bringing some big sequences from start to finish and once again demonstrating why he is one of the most revered in the industry, with not just choreography, but trolleyography as well. Every Steps song came with its own iconic dance routine (and if you don’t know any of them, that’s just too too bad), so it would have been very easy to just replicate them in the context of the musical. Instead, Cole has put his own spin on them, creating brand new sequences that have a playful nod to the original choreography. You may catch a rogue move you recognise from Steps’ original videos, but these are just mere footnotes in the execution of Cole’s creations, in a testament to his skill and ingenuity. If your hands are dying to dance along to ‘Tragedy’ and ‘Deeper Shade Of Blue’, you’ll get your chance at the incredible 7 minute finale megamix, which is everything anyone could ever want from a Steps musical… if only it was twice as long!

Visually, Here & Now matches the camp and fun aesthetic set in the writing and direction. Tom Rogers’ set design brilliantly transports us to Better Best Bargains, with some fun nods and some great visual gags to be found if you look closely enough. Howard Hudson’s lighting keeps the show looking fresh throughout, with some great usage, while Adam Fisher’s sound design ensures the songs of Steps sound every bit as flawless as if you were watching them sing the numbers themselves at any arena up in the country.

The touring cast of Here & Now features a mix of people who have returned from last year's limited run, and those who are new to the show. Blake Patrick Anderson is a returning highlight with his adorable cheeky chappie, Robbie, attempting to go from casual hookups to love when he meets Jem, played by River Medway. Anderson gets some of the best vocal moments of the night in 'Say You'll Be Mine' and the tender 'Story Of A Heart', in a rare tender moment for the show. Medway, on the other hand, delivers one of the standout sequences of the evening with a stormingly good 'Chain Reaction' that left me spinning out of control.

Rosie Singha is a great addition to the cast as Neeta, again delivering a standout sequence in 'Something In Your Eyes' with Ben Darcy, who plays her love interest, Ben. Together, the pair get perhaps the best chemistry of all the love stories that play out. Returning from last year (until November only) is the brilliant Finty Williams, showcasing her comic strengths in a memorable turn as Patricia. Though the character is underused and is largely absent in the show's second Act, she more than makes her presence felt in a performance that can only be described as très very good.

There is one undoubted standout in the show, and that is the unstoppable Rebecca Lock in a blisteringly good turn as Caz. The key to the narrative, Lock delivers a warm character that isnt perfect but owns her flaws, and is so ultimately lovable, she ensures you fall in love with not just her, but the show itself. Vocally, Lock is out of this world, feeling not too dissimilar to the powerhouse performer that is Claire Richards. Fittingly, she takes on some of the bigger, more emotive numbers such as the aforementioned 'Heartbeat'. However, it is her performance of 'One For Sorrow' that proves the single finest moment of the show. Stripping back the original song and revealing their heartfelt and heartbreaking lyrics, Lock channels this perfectly with a performance that felt natural and incredibly emotional, almost blurring the lines between the character of Caz and Rebecca herself. The result was the biggest applause of the evening, and rightly so.

In many ways, Here & Now shouldn’t work as well as it does. I may be a lifelong Steps fan myself, but that doesn’t mean this was always going to wow me to the extent it did. Case in point, I am also a lifelong Spice Girls fan, and I won’t hold my punches when anyone mentions Viva Forever in my presence. Why this show works so well is down to the love the creatives have for the music and musical theatre. This isn’t trying to be the next highbrow musical, nor should it be. What it is trying to do is cater to a wide audience, bringing something for those who go to the theatre regularly and those who might not have even set foot in one before. Camp, funny and fabulous, Here & Now also boasts a lot of heart and the result truly is steptacular - this really is everything you could ever want from a Steps musical, and more! Even if your music taste is closer to Slipknot than Steps, you really should take a chance on Here & Now, as you might surprise yourself and find a happy ending.

Here & Now - The Steps Musical tours all over the UK and Ireland until 16th May 2026. 

Select dates and tickets here

See all dates at https://thestepsmusical.com/ 

Photos by Pamela Raith