Credit Pamela Raith Photography

Jukebox musicals are always a bit hit and miss for me, in all honesty. Obviously, the songs are the best part; we all know them, we can tap our feet along to songs we already know and love. However, the plot can suffer at the expense of forcing the existing back catalogue to fit a storyline. I must admit, I am exactly the right target audience for this show, having grown up loving Steps and their music. I am happy to report that my worries about jukeboxes were allayed with Here and Now, which found its way into my heart with a great deal of ‘leg shufflin, big grinnin’’ and ‘body spinnin’’ across the Donald Gordon stage.

This is the perfect dose of fun for millennials who grew up with the undeniably catchy songs from Steps. They’re all featured here alongside high-octane dance numbers which feature the whole ensemble and I was unable to stop the grin on my face or the tapping of my feet. The hugely talented ensemble really carries the energetic, exciting dance numbers which utilise the world of the Better Best Bargains supermarket of the tale to great effect; pirouetting shopping trolleys, acrobatic feats from checkouts and a great sequence featuring the supermarket back alley and its wheelie bin. With such upbeat, high tempo songs, the members of the ensemble are the lifeblood of Here and Now and they all really shine.

The plot, in a book penned by Shaun Kitchener, really works here and does give every lead cast member time to shine, with some great moments for the secondary characters too. The friendship group of four, made up of Caz, Vel, Neeta and Robbie all have their moments in the spotlight and are well rounded, believable characters because of it. The script is topical and has genuine moments of heart and hilarity. There is a definite balancing act between the inevitable humour and cheese of a Steps musical but with human moments which are presented with sensitivity and heart. The songs are tied in cleverly with the plot and work well within the confines of the story; they do not feel shoe-horned in at any point, which is the downfall of some jukebox musicals I’ve seen!

 The cast is another asset to the show. Our four leads, especially, deserve a mention. Rosie Singha is Neeta and is an absolute tonic in her awkwardness and inability to talk to her crush, Ben. This humour is matched by a beautiful voice with some lovely belts. Dean Rickards was our understudy, Robbie. His vocals were fantastic; soaring during those deceptively difficult Steps power ballads. We began the night with Jacqui Dubois as Vel, loveable and hilarious in equal turns. Sadly, she was indisposed at the interval, which meant we ended the show with Rosemary Anabella Nkrumah, who stepped into Vel’s shoes with ease, matching the energy brought by Dubois with her own distinct take on the character and some lovely vocals throughout the act. Special mention to River Medway, whose spectacular rendition of Chain Reaction in a ethereal world of light up washing machines really brought down the house. The whole cast understand the brief, huge energy, great comic chops and incredible vocals.

Leading the show as Caz, Lara Denning is exceptional. She has some of the most difficult, belted numbers of the show and she delivers in absolute spades. She brings moments of silence to the otherwise loud, excitable audience; my particular favourite was her beautiful rendition of One for Sorrow. She is the ‘mother’ of the group and is instantly believable in this role, her relationship with each character in the friendship group is well defined and heartfelt.

Here and Now has been described as the new Mamma Mia, but does it deserve that accolade, comparing it to a show that has really stood the test of time and has also inspired two films? It’s a resounding yes from me! I grew up with Steps and I was always going to love the music, but this production is far from a Tragedy! Here and Now is a delightfully camp, heartfelt show, with plenty to inspire any jukebox musicals waiting in the wings. From the most established Steps fan, to someone who might know one or two to hum along to, this is a fabulous show which will have you ‘Foot kickin’, finger clickin’, leather slapping’ and even ‘hand clappin’ through every single number.