Here & Now Archives - North West End UK

22Apr

By Jackie FoottitNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

Here & Now – Hull New Theatre

From the first minute the “curtain” rose on Here & Now at the Hull New Theatre on Tuesday evening, I couldn’t get over how absolutely wonderful the stage setting was. The brand-new musical is based on the music of the 1990s iconic group, Steps, with a storyline centred around the staff of supermarket Better Best Bargains (BBB for short). Set designer Tom Rogers brings that environment to life by creating floor-to-ceiling partitions, left and right, graduating to the back of the stage. Each partition is filled with “groceries” and lit continually with the most amazing colours. Overhead are aisles 5, 6, 7 and 8 (there’s a song in there somewhere), while, occasionally, a graffiti covered wall drops for outdoor scenes, and serving counters are pushed and pulled throughout the show. ...

Here & Now The Steps Musical – Blackpool Opera House

9Apr

By Coral MourantNo Comments

North West

Here & Now The Steps Musical – Blackpool Opera House

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...

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...