The rammed theatre foyer on George Street tonight was very telling of the general desire to shake off the utter madness of the real world for a couple of hours and be entertained with some toe-tapping tunes taken from the rich archive of one of the most successful mixed-gender bands ever.
Steps have been ubiquitous on the radio since the late nineties and have accumulated a back catalogue of dance-pop bangersthat have ensured a longevity in the ever-fickle music industry along with a dedicated fanbase.Why on earth wouldn’t they have a jukebox musical to celebrate this embarrassment of riches?
Following in the (ahem) footsteps of huge musical theatre hits including Mamma Mia!, Priscilla, Queen of the Desert and Rock of Ages, Here & Now is touring the UK until mid-May 2026 and is at the Oxford New Theatre until Sunday (22nd February). If you’re needing joy in your life – go see it (regardless of whether you’re a fan of the band or not).
Co-produced by Steps themselves, alongside music-mogul and railway enthusiast Pete Waterman, who also helped launch their career, Here & Now centres around seaside supermarket Better Best Bargains (see what they did there?) and its eclectic cohort of employees and stylish customers (mega plaudits to Costume Designer Gabriella Slade). While one may look at this premise and wonder how (and indeed why) it ties in with the music of Steps, I can assure you, it works.
Written by Shaun Kitchener and directed by Rachel Kavanaugh with an incredible set designed by Tom Rogers, we are immediately drawn into the story of Caz (Lara Denning) and her best friends (and supermarket colleagues) Vel (played in tonight’s performance by Rosemary Annabella Nkrumah), Neeta (Rosie Singha) and Robbie (Blake Patrick Anderson), who make a pact to ensure they each find their ‘happy ending’ before Caz’s 50th birthday in a couple of weeks.The sheer vocal prowess on display is an absolute feast for the senses, aided by the incredible band led by Musical Director Georgia Rawlins. As is the frenetic choreography (thanks to Matt Cole) including trolley-ography mixed with well-known Steps moves throughout, and key scenes involving a romantic duet by the store bins. One particular set piece involves the fabulous drag queen River Medway (playing Robbie’s love interest Jem) dressed as a bag of frozen veg emerging from a freezer and dancing on a bunch of washing machines (with glitter balls for drums, no less). Nobody could claim plagiarism on this stuff.
The show is a total joy to behold and camper than a row of fabulous, glittery tents; Jem exclaims ‘I just love gay’ at one key point in proceedings, and I couldn’t agree more. While the story may have some bonkers moments (see above) there is also a lot of heart, with themes including baby loss, adoption, daddy issues and cross-generational friendships. By the goosebump-inducing rock-opera zenith of the first act I was thoroughly invested. As the story continued towards it dazzling climax, it seems that the rest of the audience were just as caught up in it, with audible gasps and cheers amidst the laughs (there are some excellent one-liners) and general buzz of enjoyment.
For an evening of jubilant, chaotic escapism, I cannot recommend this show highly enough, with its hugely talented cast, high production values and banger after banger that will have you dancing out of the theatre into the chilly night.