Manchester Opera House – until 13 September 2025 then continuing to tour the UK
Reviewed by Emily Smith
5*****
Trigger warning: Child loss and adoption.
Here and Now tells the story of four friends working at Better Best Bargains who are committed to their Summer of Love. It is, as you’d probably expect from a show based on the music of infamous pop group Steps, flamboyant, over-the-top and full of fun.
Step One for the show was a short run at The Alexandra in Birmingham last year (2024) after which a full UK tour starting in 2025 was announced. Fast forward to last night, Here and Now triumphantly returned with a gala night performance at the Manchester Opera House with Steps themselves(!) in attendance. The atmosphere was electric, and it was an evening full of happiness, sparkles and 90s nostalgia.
The staging, by Tom Rogers, was instantly impressive with floor to ceiling shelves of the bargain store illuminated by bright white lights with splashes of blue and pink. Moving set pieces and props completed the look and were used to a good effect, changing scene from the bargain store to an airport and a back alley.
Being a jukebox musical, all of the storylines are woven around Steps songs. This is always a careful balance to get right – focus too much on the music and the story falls flat and you don’t invest in the characters but focus too much on the story and you lose the music which is a big pull for many! Here and Now gets this balance bang-on in my opinion; Shaun Kitchener’s book perfectly blends Steps’ greatest hits with a story that will have you laughing and crying along with the characters and rooting for love.
Rebecca Lock (Caz) was the undisputed star of the show. Her powerful vocals shone through the entire evening and I cannot praise her performance highly enough! River Medway (Jem) also gave a fabulous rendition of Chain Reaction in full drag which was a real crowd pleaser. Jacqui Dubois (Vel), Rosie Singha (Neeta) and Blake Patrick Anderson (Robbie) all had a chance to shine during the show with their own storylines and songs. Blake’s vocals were most suited to slower numbers such as Say You’ll Be Mine, while Rosie’s stand-out number Scared of the Dark showcased her vocal ability. All of the cast played their roles brilliantly, they were committed and the audience were completely invested!
While most of the show is full of pop classics from the 90s such as Better Best Forgotten, 5, 6, 7, 8, Stomp and Love’s Got A Hold On My Heart, there are also several numbers from Steps’ more recent albums such as Neon Blue and Scared of the Dark. The show has some incredible arrangements of songs – some of which left me in tears – particularly Rebecca Lock’s version of Heartbeat, sung in honour of her character’s stillborn son. I also have to give credit to the band, led by musical director Georgia Rawlins, who brought the show to life, complimenting Adam Fisher’s sound design.
Matt Cole’s choreography was energetic and included some of the original Steps dance-moves we all know and love while remaining fresh and modern. Gabriella Slade’s costumes were bright and colourful and ranged from the Better Best Bargains store uniforms to air stewardesses and electricians. The ensemble did a great job throughout at maintaining the energy and making this production come to life.
For me, the jokes throughout were spot-on and I barely stopped laughing. The stand-out moments came from Patricia (Finty Williams), the store’s manager and Lesley (John Stacey), though the entire cast were fabulous. The humour was very ‘best of British’ (‘Cheryl from the Chippy!’) and at times a bit silly, but the audience were laughing along throughout! There were also multiple pop-culture references, like during the Half Price Hoedown (‘shantay you save’ – a nod to Ru Paul’s drag race), which further enhanced the show.
The storylines ranged across a variety of themes and while predominantly focussed on love and relationships (of all flavours!) there were also important topics such as child loss, adoption and female empowerment.
For Steps superfans there were plenty of little details that were fun to spot throughout alongside the more obvious choices such as the tills being numbered 5, 6, 7 and 8. To share just a few examples, the rubbish bins were ‘TRASH-EDDY’ (like ‘Tragedy’), there were jokes about ‘pasta a la Clara’ (which was a recipe Claire Richards shared over 20 years ago in Steps’ first video on VHS!) and the airline was called ‘Buzz Airlines’ (after the album ‘Buzz’).
To add a caveat to this review, not only have I been a huge fan of Steps since my childhood in the 90s, but I am also a sucker for a discount store (think B&M and Home Bargains) as well as the seaside. When you add these together to get Here and Now, set in Better Best Bargains by the sea, it’s unsurprising I fell head over heels in love.
Rachel Kavanaugh’s direction has made this show a complete hit in my view and one thing is for certain – this is not a jukebox musical that’s Better Best Forgotten – it truly is a steptacular (sorry, spectacular) show that will leave you feeling joyous inside, and perhaps, like me, a part of your inner child will heal too.
The UK tour of Here and Now continues across the UK through to 2026.
