By Mim Williams
How to feel better on a dreary Tuesday than a visit to The Grand Opera House? This week, our gloomy evening was lightened up when we got the chance to step (literally) into the glitzy, camp, Steps-themed musical, Here & Now!
Running in York until 15th February, Here & Now – The Steps Musical is centred around a supermarket, Better Best Bargains (did someone say “drama on isle 7”?).
Directed by the award-winning Rachel Kavanaugh (The Great British Bake Off Musical), this fun and breezy production follows the lives of four co-workers, with love, loss, and plenty of drama along the way. With her 50th birthday fast approaching, leading lady Caz (Laura Denning) makes a pact with her friends to achieve their dreams before the big day arrives. We follow the story of each character, including Caz’s adoption woes (Laura Denning’s vocal prowess blew me away!) and the shy Neeta’s crush on her co-worker, Ben (who can wear a pair of little denim shorts very well – not many people can pass that look off!). We also get to marvel at the very special Drag Queen entrance of Jem (River Medway), and get to know the love interest, Robbie (Bake Patrick Anderson), and how he struggles to create stable relationships due to his complex childhood. Val (Jaqui Duboire) is Caz’s best friend and ally, who finds out her own true feelings while comparing choices for the perfect meal deal with her co-worker.
As we know, when it comes to relationships of the heart, not all is plain sailing, but a few songs from Steps, the beloved 1990s pop group, make the journey a whole lot easier!
Now, I’m not one to show my age, but who doesn’t love a good 90s song to sing along to, especially a Steps one? I had forgotten that Steps had so many hits, and was surprised that I knew all the words too! My favourites on the night were ‘5,6,7,8’, ‘Tragedy’, and ‘Chain Reaction’ – these numbers really took me back to the days of singing into my hairbrush as a teenager. The way the music was used to emphasise every heartbreak, drama and relationship was amazing, and really effective. The choreography was jam-packed, and I didn’t know where to look with so much happening across the stage – there was great use of the supermarket trolleys, dancing on washing machines, and even a very camp and glitzy performance from Jem, jumping out of a freezer compartment! The costume design had all the vivid brightness you’d expect, complementing the supermarket shelves with a pink and purple explosion of colour.
Here & Now – the Steps Musical is a toe-tapping production that’s packed with happy vibes – the plot is relatable and easy to follow, and just the right touches of glitz and camp glamour made for a perfectly cheesy, carefree evening. I would definitely recommend our readers to head on down to the Grand Opera House to perk up their mood this month – you’ll get the chance to sing along to your favourite Steps tunes, after all!
Here & Now – The Steps Musical runs at York Grand Opera House until Sunday, 15th February. Visit https://www.atgtickets.com/shows/here-and-now-the-steps-musical/grand-opera-house-york/ to book your tickets!
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