Here & Now: The Steps Musical UK Tour Review (Theatre Royal, Nottingham)

11 November 2025 I 19:30 I Theatre Royal, Nottingham

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With ever-increasing demand for the jukebox musical, Here & Now follows in the footsteps of Mamma Mia and more recently Get Down Tonight to pump theatres across the UK with energetic, feel-good pop tunes. As platinum-selling band Steps base tonight's score, Rachel Kavanaugh's production imagines the Better Best Bargains supermarket and its workers, soon threatened with closure. What follows is a spirited and high-octane performance too superficial to scratch its glitzy surface.

Success hinging on Shaun Kitchener's book, multiple narratives and plot points aren't fully formed to their potential. There are some brilliant one-line zingers, although the scripting is often forced to wrap itself around the songs. The 'half-price hoedown' is one example, staging a western-themed sale to compliment 5,6,7,8 which feels bizarrely placed given the store's aesthetic. Ranging from affairs, blackmail and baby loss, the musical takes light-hearted strides where it lacks in genuine depth, though of course it depends on what you are looking for.

Photography Credit: Pamela Raith

All audiences relate to what they see on stage differently. As a stand-alone production, Here & Now is an inherently fun and amusing tonic for today, yet I struggled to feel a connection through the music. Being a noughties child, I had missed the peak of Steps' fame, so for younger audiences there may be a disengage that forgoes the nostalgia hit others may experience.

In a general sense, the supermarket concept is effective in creating a close-knit community of hopeless romantics, each hoping for their Summer Of Love. Tom Rogers' set design of sliding counters and shelves can appear clunky, primarily soulless as the space constantly morphs. There are very few shoppers that populate the space other than principal characters, where the atmosphere doesn't come alive in an authentic sense.

Through a loud, sometimes shouty production, Lara Denning's debut taking over the role of Caz is exemplary, leaving her heart on the stage and accessing the nuance in the material. Her rendering of One For Sorrow captivates the audience to silence, shortly after dancing in their seats in an emotional whiplash.

Another standout is found in Dean Rickards' Robbie, holding a beautiful presence that is emotionally well-studied and understanding of his character's circumstances to be believable. Albeit Kitchener's writing forcing Robbie into a series of gay clichés, Rickards has a natural charisma that both steals scenes and holds great empathy.

Photography Credit: Pamela Raith

Matt Cole's choreography is impressive in its ability to fill the stage, pairing almost every musical number with an intense dance sequence. Despite a precise and talented ensemble, stage images can often be overwhelming without a clear focus. Embedded in Cole's choreography, there are notable nods to Steps' infamous routines from Tragedy to Deeper Shade Of Blue which are delightful reminders of the band's pop-culture crazes, although it prevents the production from finding its own identity.

RuPaul's Drag Race UK star River Medway features as Jem/Amanda Smooch, performing a drag number to Chain Reaction as a confession of her love. Stepping out of the freezer aisle trapped in a plastic bag of 'frozen goods', to strutting on washing machines alongside muscly men in swimsuits, it pushes the surreal far beyond its boundary to the point it thrives, welcoming much applause and whooping.

Flawed in its structure as a contemporary musical, Here & Now is a glowing tribute to Steps that has audiences rushing to their feet for the final megamix. Musical Director Georgia Rawlins leads a confident live band that honours such an iconic soundtrack, never sounding better! It would be impossible not to enjoy Kavanaugh's production as a harmless night-out, if you can forgive the material that needs fine tuning in order to truly excel.

Tickets and Touring Info: https://thestepsmusical.com/