Here & Now - The Steps Musical!

Tuesday 9th December 2025

HERE & NOW - The Steps Musical
Liverpool Empire



After a successful run in The Alexandra Birmingham last year, Here and Now is currently on its debut UK and Ireland tour, which is about to conclude its week's run at Liverpool’s Empire Theatre.

The show follows Caz and her 3 work friends, Neeta, Val and Robbie, who are trying to find their summer of love whilst working at their local town’s supermarket, Better Best Bargains. But when Caz discovers her ‘happy ever after’ is a lie, and the gang’s attempts at romance are a total tragedy, they wonder – will love ever get a hold on their hearts? Or should they all just take a chance on a happy ending…

One of my initial doubts going into the show was the fact that it is a jukebox musical, and I wasn’t 100% sure as to how Steps’ songs would be turned into a musical mostly set in a supermarket. As the show progressed, my doubts were swept aside, as they all set the story perfectly, with each song having a meaning for the specific scene that they were used in. For me, the highlight was how they reworked Story of a heart to fit into the emotional development of the scene it's in, whilst also conveying the senses that Steps had in their version of the song. This positive experience in terms of the songs proves that, with a bit of thought, that jukebox musicals can have a good plot, whilst successfully having popular music/ songs from the movie it’s based on, ingrained into the story.


Everything on the technical side of the show stands out phenomenally on top of this, creating the perfect atmosphere throughout the show, and making the audience feel as if they’re being transported to this supermarket, as well as into the plot with Caz and her friends. Whilst Tom Rogers’ set is slightly minimalistic at times, it’s used incredibly well to be able to set different scenes, such as different areas of the shop, and also exterior scenes too. Lighting, designed by Howard Hudson, perfectly complements this set design, highlighting the necessary characters throughout the show if they have solo’s, or have a significant part in that section of the plot.


I also have to give a shoutout to Gabriella Slade for, once again, amazing costume design. Even though some of the costumes are rather simplistic in comparison to her work on the likes of Six and Starlight Express, they are still of an incredible quality, and are highly detailed, adding to the atmosphere within the show.

In addition to everyone who worked on the technical side, casting by Will Burton CDG deserves to be highlighted, as this cast is stacked with amazing talent. Lara Denning is utter perfection in the role of Caz, managing to bring a lot of raw emotion to the role, alongside being able to sing some insane highs in Steps’ songs. Rosie Singha, Jacqui Dubois and Blake Patrick Anderson are also brilliant leads, playing Neeta, Val and Robbie- Caz’s colleagues and friends. Ru Paul’s Drag Race Star River Medway also stars in the show, and alongside Patrick Anderson, gives a brilliant representation of queerness; this is also successfully done with Dubois and Lauren Woolf as Tracey. The representation Here and Now highlights is so important, and is embedded perfectly into the story by Shaun Kitchener.


Overall, Here and Now is a brilliant example of a quality jukebox musical, with all elements of production coming in to create a brilliant show, which will entertain people of all ages and backgrounds. The show is currently touring the UK, having already visited Ireland, until May 2026, with tickets available via: https://thestepsmusical.com/tour

Review Written By Olivia Bullock



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