Here & Now Archives - North West End UK

Here & Now: The Steps Musical – Grand Opera House

12Feb

By Adam CraddockNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

Here & Now: The Steps Musical – Grand Opera House

Tonight, I had the pleasure of being invited along to Grand Opera House York to review the UK touring production of “Here and Now”, the brand new musical based on the songs of Steps. I knew pretty much nothing at all about this show going into it, knowing only one or two of Steps’ songs and my only knowledge of the plot being from one production image, so needless to say I was going into this pretty blind and neutral. The show is based in the seaside supermarket Better Best Bargains and revolves around a core group of four employees, Caz, Vel, Neeta and Robbie, as they make a pact together for a summer of love to come but this is put in peril when their workplace faces closure. We follow the twists and turns this friendship takes (and believe me there are plenty of twists, just not all ...

Sally Ann Matthews Joins The Cast of Here & Now

24Jan

By NewsdeskNo Comments

NEWS

Sally Ann Matthews Joins The Cast of Here & Now

The producers of the UK and Ireland tour and Whatsonstage Award-nominated musical HERE & NOW, presented by UK pop sensation, Steps, are delighted to announce that Coronation Street star Sally Ann Matthews will take over the role of Patricia from 23rd January 2026. Sally takes over the role from originator Finty Williams who finished her run in December 2025. Sally Ann Matthews is best known for playing the role of Jenny Bradley in ITV’s Coronation Street. She joined the show in 1986 through to 1991, she returned for a brief return in 1993 before coming back as a regular in 2015 staying with the show until October 2025. Outside of the role that spanned 39 years Sally has starred in various theatre productions including: Mum’s The Word (UK Tour), The Business of Murder (UK Tour), ...

The National Lottery’s Big Night of Musicals – AO Arena

29Jan

By Abigail PendleburyNo Comments

North West

The National Lottery’s Big Night of Musicals – AO Arena

On 27th January the AO Arena in Manchester welcomed back The National Lottery's Big Night of Musicals. Celebrating 30 years of National Lottery funding for theatre and performing arts across the UK, the event brought together an impressive lineup of West End and touring productions, as well as special guests, offering a night of unforgettable performances. Hosted by the comedic charm that is Jason Manford, the evening featured a series of show-stopping numbers that highlighted the diversity and vibrancy of contemporary musical theatre. The event opened with a ‘Supercalifragalistic’ performance from the current touring cast of Mary Poppins, setting an exhilarating tone for the night. Other show-stopping performances included a first look at Disney’s Hercules, where Luke Brady gave us a p...

UK Pop Sensation Steps Present The World Premiere of New Musical Here & Now

26Jan

By NewsdeskNo Comments

NEWS

UK Pop Sensation Steps Present The World Premiere of New Musical Here & Now

UK pop band Steps are delighted to announce the world premiere of HERE & NOW, a brand-new musical using their iconic music, with an original book by Shaun Kitchener. HERE & NOW will open at The Alexandra, Birmingham for a limited engagement from 9 – 24 November 2024. Featuring Steps’ most beloved hit songs, HERE & NOW is produced by the band and ROYO with Pete Waterman, and will be directed by Rachel Kavanaugh, with choreography by Olivier Award winning Matt Cole. Casting to be announced. Welcome to seaside superstore Better Best Bargains, where it's Friday night, the vibe is right, and everyone's dancing in the aisles. But when Caz discovers the shelves are stocked with lies and betrayal, the summer of love she and her friends dreamed of suddenly feels like a tragedy. Ha...