Nottingham Theatre Royal- until Saturday 8 November 2025
Reviewed by Amy V Gathercole
3***
“Here and Now Brings the Beat, but not every step lands”
Cheeky, camp and cute, bursting with sparkle, Here and Now is the latest jukebox musical to hit the stage, celebrating the hits of pop supergroup Steps’ brought to us from director Rachel Kavanaugh.
As a bit of a Steps fan myself, (I even saw them at Nottingham’s Motorpoint Arena as a teen), I wasn’t alone in the infectious nostalgia. The audience was peppered with superfans, proudly donning vintage tour T-shirts and out-sparkling the show’s own backing dancers at times.
The story centres on four friends, Caz (Lara Denning), Vel (Jacqui Dubois), Robbie (Dean Rickards), and Neeta (Rosie Singha) who work at a UK seaside superstore called Better Best Bargains. When ringleader Caz rallies the gang to chase a “summer of love,” for her 50th birthday gift, their lives take a series of surprising turns. The mainly light-hearted plot explores friendship, dreams, and reinvention – all played out with dance routines in the store aisles around and on top of checkouts 5, 6, 7, 8 (see what they did there?).
There’s a lively mix of supporting characters, romantic entanglements and even a few well-placed villains to keep things interesting.
Lara Denning stands out as Caz, delivering vocals that blend beautifully with the signature harmonies of Steps, particularly as she sings ‘Heartbeat’. Her grounded performance gives the show its heart and lends real vocal credibility to the musical numbers. That said, the standout voice of the night belonged to Dean Rickards as Robbie. As the sole lead male vocalist, his rich, deeper tone added texture and drew the audience in with every solo. They both have voices that genuinely gel with the harmonies of Steps original sound.
The show embraces LGBTQIA+ representation with refreshing ease. Robbie’s relationship with local drag queen Jem (played with flair by River Medway) is tender, funny, and joyfully unapologetic. Rather than feeling like a box-ticking exercise, this and other storylines are woven naturally into the fabric of the plot, celebrating queer love and friendship in a way that feels both current and heartfelt. Watch out for a particularly memorable number from Gem in the second act.
The comedy drew plenty of laughs throughout. For Steps fans, the show delivers a generous helping of their biggest hits—‘Stomp’, ‘Tragedy’, and ‘Chain Reaction’ among them, alongside a few lesser-known tracks that keep the energy high and the audience tapping their feet.
Visually, the production sticks to a bold palette of hot pink and electric blue (from the set designer Tom Rogers) reflecting the vibrant, over-the-top world of the superstore setting. The choreography from Matt Cole is playful and well-paced, though occasionally repetitive and sometimes the ensemble just feel like they have no purpose in the scene.
As with many jukebox musicals, the challenge lies in marrying the songs with a coherent storyline. At multiple times, the plot feels too stretched to accommodate the lyrics and you can certainly sense the creative team scratching their heads, working hard to make the pieces fit. The second act, however, picks up the pace and delivers a more satisfying rhythm.
Ultimately, Here and Now is a feel-good night out that Steps devotees will adore. For those less familiar with the band’s back catalogue, it may lack depth, but it’s hard to resist the show’s glittery charm and infectious beat.
It’s a glitzy feel-good tribute that will delight Steps fans, even if it doesn’t quite hit every note for the uninitiated.