STORYHOUSE, CHESTER – UNTIL WEDNESDAY 7TH OCTOBER 2026
REVIEWED BY MIA BOWEN
4****
I went into How Soon Is Now? at Storyhouse with absolutely no idea what to expect. Apart from the title suggesting music, and the fact it was set in Manchester, I was going in largely blind. What I got was a brilliantly nostalgic, funny and ultimately very moving new 1990s indie musical from Manchester-based Box of Tricks.
Written by award-winning playwright Siân Owen and directed by Adam Quayle, the production transports us to New Year’s Eve 1997, as Britain stands on the brink of a new millennium. The stage becomes Deja Vus nightclub, complete with DJ booth, instruments and what appears to be a rather questionable nightclub bathroom! It feels instantly familiar — and wonderfully 1990s.
Darren Cowley, Theo Woolford and L J Willow provide the live music, while Cowley’s DJ Spin Jim is an absolute triumph. In his green tracksuit, bucket hat and unmistakable Manchester attitude, he welcomes us into the club and introduces us to its regulars. Cowley completely owns the role, creating the atmosphere and energy of the night while reminding us just how powerful music can be in transporting us back to a particular time, place or feeling.
At the centre of the story are best friends Polly (Laura Robinson), a retail worker, and Angie (Kaitlyn Akinpelumi), a health worker, celebrating New Year at Deja Vus. Their night changes when they meet Jean (Bethan McLean), a Welsh girl who has recently been dumped by her controlling boyfriend and finds herself alone, vulnerable and with nowhere to go.
What follows is a story about friendship, vulnerability, relationships and the realities of life, beautifully threaded through the music of the era, which is very much at the heart of the storytelling. Songs by The Smiths, The Stone Roses, Radiohead and Manic Street Preachers are performed live and sung beautifully by the cast, while other 1990s favourites — including New Order and The Prodigy — are woven into the club atmosphere, playing in the background just as they would on a night out in 1997. It creates a brilliant sense of time and place, while showing how a particular song can instantly unlock a memory or emotion.
For me, Bethan McLean as Jean was the standout. Watching her character find her strength as the story unfolds was incredibly affecting. By the time she stands in that beautiful party dress, only to have her boyfriend dismiss her, your heart absolutely bleeds for her.
But Darren Cowley’s DJ Spin Jim deserves a special mention too — he absolutely nailed it.
I arrived not knowing what to expect and left feeling like I’d spent New Year’s Eve in 1997 with some very memorable people. A nostalgic, music-filled night that proves a great song can take you straight back to where you were — and how you felt.