A new British jukebox musical has arrived, and it’s ready to take its place amongst the best of them. Queen, Abba, and Take That have all had their own hit musicals, and now it’s time for Steps to stomp onto the scene. Directed by award-winning Rachel Kavanaugh, this heart-warming tale of friendship and love is bound to get your feet kickin’ and hands clappin’!
At “Better Best Bargains” the prices are low, but the vibes are high as four friends make a pact to make their romantic dreams come true. They all need to take a chance on a happy ending, but when Caz’s love life turns into a tragedy, and the store that brought them together threatens to close, will the friends ever achieve their summer of love?
The back catalogue of Steps’ songs and the backdrop of a British supermarket are a match made in musical heaven. A fun concept that I can only imagine came from hilarious creative meetings; “Let’s use trolleys in that one”, “we can have light up washing machines”, “obviously that love song is set out by the bins”, “how do we shoehorn in 5,6,7,8?” (spoiler, it’s a half-price hoedown).
If I’m not mistaken, apart from one scene the action doesn’t move beyond the supermarket, but this doesn’t make it feel stagnant. The pace is fast, and you don’t have much time to wait for the next fan-favourite hit to begin. This does mean that the audience is thrown into new scenes and songs without warning, and although the whirlwind is enjoyable, it can feel a little chaotic at times.
Adorned with bright colours (costumes by Gabriella Slade), and a flashy proscenium, the bold visuals of this show complement its campness. The set design by Tom Rogers is in keeping with the fun and I particularly enjoyed the emboldened “5,6,7,8” aisle numbers at the top of the arch.
Speaking of iconic songs, the cast are bringing their A-game vocals to every performance. Taking on the majority of the lead vocals is Lara Denning as Caz, and boy, does she deliver. Not only because of her beautiful sound, but because she brings all the heart to this character, getting you on her side from the first scene. Jacqui Dubois plays best friend, Vel, with a glint in her eye and a natural comedic appeal. Her journey through the show is a fun one, and not one I’m going to spoil!
Rosie Singha plays Neeta, a young artist with a massive crush on co-worker Ben (played brilliantly at this performance byMarkus Södergren). Her adorable shyness contrasts completely with her powerhouse vocals, and with this only being her second professional role, it’s a star turn from Singha. These songs are difficult, but you wouldn’t know it listening to Singha and Blake Patrick Anderson as Robbie.
Patrick Anderson charms as the cheeky commitment-phobe who’s life turns upside down upon meeting Jem (Drag Race’s River Medway). It is beautiful to see a relationship bloom between these two, and to see Medway shine in and out of drag. Yes, the Amanda Smooch performance is brilliant, but Medway is exciting to watch as Jem in every single scene.
The book, by Shaun Kitchener, isn’t scared of being self-aware, and it succeeds in touching on some hard hitting subjects with enough heart for it to not to feel forced. The entertainment factor is definitely not amiss here, and what this show offers is some camp, feel-good fun. So, make a dancefloor date and get your tickets now for this entertaining smash-hit show!
Here & Now stays in Blackpool until 12th April and then continues its tour at other UK theatres until mid May. https://thestepsmusical.com/
Reviewer: Coral Mourant
Reviewed: 8th April 2026
North West End UK Rating: