FINALLY, we have the musical that all Steps fans (myself included) have been waiting for. 

HERE & NOW is the hilarious and heart-warming brand new musical based on the songs of British pop band Steps, and I was lucky enough to bag an invite to the press launch at The Alexandra Theatre.

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. Have they all lost their chance of a ‘happy ever after?’ Or does love have other plans in store…?

Formed in 1997, Steps has sold over 22 million records worldwide, and HERE & NOW is produced by the band themselves, along with ROYO and pop legend Pete Waterman. With an enormous (and loyal) fan base, the production has already broken the Alexandra Theatre box office records, selling TEN THOUSAND tickets within the first 24 hours of release ahead of their November shows. 

Steps, along with the award-winning director Rachel Kavanaugh and writer Shaun Kitchener, were at The Alexandra Theatre to meet with fans (some who had been queuing outside the theatre from 5.00am that morning), sell the first tickets and tell us more about HERE & NOW. 

As a fan, it was rather surreal to see a band that I have followed for so many years standing in front of me, dressed in matching pink outfits and surrounded by the colourful decorations that adorned the theatre foyer, and they couldn’t have been nicer (scroll down to the bottom to see me having a fan girl moment).

I was particularly delighted that I got the chance to sit down with Rachel and Shaun and find out more about HERE & NOW.

Tell us about HERE & NOW. What can the Birmingham audience expect?

Shaun: The aim is for people to leave the theatre having had a great time, an emotionally fulfilling time, fallen in love with some brilliant characters, seen some amazing songs (a couple of them done in surprising ways). It’s a story about friendship, community and love in all its forms, whether that’s romantic or between friends. 

How did HERE & NOW begin?

Shaun: I think the band have been looking to do a musical for years, and have been workshopping different ideas. For me, I came on board two years ago because I had done an unofficial Fringe Steps show in 2017, which one of their managers came to see, so I got a call with “Would you be interested in talking about this?” and I was “yes, I would!” ROYO came on board about a year ago and it’s been an ongoing development process from there really, and since then it’s been pedal to the metal, developing the story and the characters. We’re in the really exciting stages of workshops which is really good fun. 

You’ve had all sorts of experiences with lots of different types of theatre, Rachel. What was it about HERE & NOW that made you think, yes! I want to direct that?

Rachel: Two things, really. One was Shaun’s book, which I really enjoyed, and also Steps has come around twice in my life. A lot of mums my age for example – I loved them when I was younger but then I found myself at a festival with my kids two or three years ago, and Steps were performing. And there we were, dancing with all these other families and my kids were asking “Mum, how do you know all these?” Then when it arrived – an earlier draft of the one we’re working on at the moment – and I thought, this is absolutely up my street. It does what I love doing in theatre, which is entertaining and using the emotional buttons, and it about all the things that are important – your friends, your family, your job and your world. I think the values of the show are really wonderful. Very ‘here and now.’

Steps has such a huge discography – as you said, Rachel, they have essentially come around twice now. How easy is it to fit that amount of songs into a production? Do you create the dialogue around the potential use of a song, or is it the other way around?

Shaun: Interesting! For a while we were trying to nail the songs before we started scripting dialogue – looking at the lyrics and just trying to get a vague map of how it would work. Then we got to the script stage and you find the opportunity for songs, so maybe there’s not a place for this song after all but this one can go in, and it’s such a fun little jigsaw, both as a theatre maker and as a Steps fan. I mean, can the show be five hours?

I think we would watch five hours of it without a problem. You could do a Lord of the Rings style extended edition!

Shaun: Definitely! It’s a really fun challenge. 

How do you start the casting process? Do you already have an idea in mind of who would be suitable for the roles?

Rachel: What’s wonderful about where it is set, which is in a seaside supermarket, is that it is full of all types of ordinary people of all ages, young people, older people of all shapes and sizes, all heritages, all gender identities. It’s properly inclusive and eclectic… so we will be looking for people who are really, really good actors who can move us and make us laugh, but also who have belters of voices, because people will want to hear those songs sung really well, and as Shaun says, in surprising ways. We want to honour those songs. 

What are the challenges once you have cast the production both as a director and writer?

Shaun: We haven’t cast it yet but just speaking on the work we have done so far, we’ve had a couple of read-through’s where we have had actors in, and that has been really helpful to hear actors read the dialogue out loud and think, “ooh, that reading we’ve just had there, that wasn’t what I thought that line was going to sound like, but I like it – are there any opportunities to develop the character in that direction?” 

Rachel: I think it’s incredibly helpful – in that couple of hours where you hear it, you learn a huge amount about what is landing, which characters we want more of, which characters we have got too much of, and are those relationships both believable and compelling, because they need to be both. That’s exciting, but then we have to make it spangly and sparkly and fun, and tear-jerking, and make you want to jump up and down with joy. 

Shaun: So if you know anyone…

Judging from the queue of people outside I think you’ll be fine! In Birmingham we have such a huge amount of talented creatives, performing arts schools, theatres, lots of up and coming wannabe writers and directors. What would be your best advice for young people who want to do what you do?

Rachel: I love this city, it’s a brilliant city culturally, especially in theatre, and it has a proud history of writing and performing in all its forms, including initiatives for musical theatre which I think is wonderful. My thing is about just trying to get in the room just so you can watch other people if you can.

Shaun: From a writers perspective, I keep looking up writers advice online when I have writers block, and it always comes back to just do it. I’m thinking, how do I do the writers bit, and I think just doing it and writing it and getting your stuff out there where you can. You have to put yourself through a lot of “I don’t want that, but it’s a great way to get your foot in the door.”

I ask this to everyone I get the chance to speak with. A friend of mine who went to drama school once told me he spent his first year pretending to be an egg frying in a pan. As a creative, what’s the strangest situation you’ve ever found yourself in either on stage or during the rehearsal process?

Shaun: Apart from having a pinch me moment where you look around the room and realise you’re doing a musical with Steps? I think that’s got to be it. We had a brilliant meal with other night and there was a moment where all of us had sat down, and there was a moment where there were chips going around, and suddenly Faye from Steps is asking me had I got enough chips on my plate, and I’m like “What is this life?”

Rachel: There was a moment where we were doing the reading yesterday, I can’t remember which number it was, but all of their arms starting to move in the same way at the same time and it was wonderful to watch. 

I suppose after twenty-five years of being together you would be in sync!

Shaun: They can’t help it!

Rachel: They hear that and start to move in a certain way!

The WORLD PREMIERE of HERE & NOW will be on stage at The Alexandra Theatre on from Sat 9 Nov – Sun 24 Nov 2024. Get your tickets here!