HERE & NOW – The Steps Musical

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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. 

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A New Year, A New Home

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There’s nothing like moving house to remind me that I have the upper body strength of a toddler and I’m insanely unfit. 

Brace yourself. This is a long one. 

The Bloke and I moved house at the beginning of January. It’s been a long time (I think about eight years!) since our last move and not one that we had planned on – our landlord suddenly suggested late last year that he was thinking of selling the house, leaving us in the precarious position of potentially being given notice and needing to find somewhere new in a very short amount of time, in an area that is very much in demand. We decided to take ownership of the situation and found somewhere ourselves, and struck lucky with a beautiful property not far away. 

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Press Review: The Full Monty at The Alexandra Theatre

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⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Celebrating the 25th anniversary of the smash-hit movie, Simon Beaufoy’s The Full Monty has arrived on stage at The Alexandra Theatre. 

The Full Monty tells the story of a group of men from Sheffield who are down on their luck and dealing with their own personal daily struggles. Gaz (Danny Hatchard) and Dave (Neil Hurst), unemployed former  steel workers, accompanied by Gaz’s young son Nathan (Rowan Poulton), are caught stealing beams from the former factory by depressed and lonely security guard Lomper (Nicholas Prasad). Gerald (Bill Ward), their former boss, is hiding the fact he has been out of work for six months from his wife, Linda. After seeing the success of a local performance of the Chippendales and in desperate need of money for his child support arrears, Gaz hatches a plan to make some money by convincing the men to form their own troupe of male strippers. After advertising for more members, they meet Horse (Ben Onwukwe) and Guy (Jake Quickenden).

The Full Monty Production photos taken on 15th September 2023 in Cheltenham at the Everyman Theatre

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2023: A Year in Review

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As you may be able to tell from my previous post, the end of 2023 is not the relaxed and restful time that I had hoped for. We’re in the process of moving house, we’re up to our eyeballs in boxes, and I’m more than a little anxious about everything that we need to do over the coming week. 

Consequently, and after everything else that we have had to deal with, it’s difficult not to look back on this year with a level of negativity. 

2023 has been tough. My mum spent the first four months of the year in and out of hospital, The Bloke’s auntie passed away, my father died, my workload has been insane and on more than one occasion I have had to start putting my foot down and set boundaries with a few people who have made constant demands on my time and energy while being rude and dismissive in the process – something that has gone on for far too long. The year has felt like a constant battle and I’m tired. 

However, in times like this I turn to the opening pages in my Bullet Journal, titled ‘Memories and Highlights.’ It’s one of my favourite things – a double page of all the great experiences that The Bloke and I have had throughout the year. 

And despite the nonsense, the double page is filled. 

This year we’ve seen over thirty shows at five different theatres. My favourites were Rock of Ages (which I think we’ve seen four times now), SIX (which has been on my list for a long time), Sinatra at The REP, and The Bodyguard. 

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Twixmas Packing

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I’ve seen the term ‘Twixmas’ thrown around a lot over the last week. Apparently meaning the period between Boxing Day and New Year’s Eve, it has represented a feeling of nothingness – Christmas is over, many are off work (or at least, have had a few days off) and it’s often a time of relaxing and recovering from the festivities before preparing for the start of a new year.

My ‘Twixmas’ usually involves a little bit of work, lots of sleeping, eating snacks and watching movies. This year, however, we’re up to our eyeballs in boxes, packing tape and bubble wrap. 

Because we’re moving house. Next week. 

Great. 

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A Basic Christmas

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“At the beginning of December I’m going to go all out with the Christmas decorations,” I said to The Bloke last month. 

We’re moving house at the beginning of January and so it is going to be the last Christmas we have here. I had every intention of making a huge effort – Christmas over the last few years has been haphazard and last-minute and both The Bloke and I have felt like we’ve just gone through the motions rather than actually feeling festive and celebrating. 

And then at the beginning of December I got covid. I’ve been pretty careful at trying to stay as safe as possible, but I met up with a friend at the end of November and must have picked it up on the bus on the way home – there were lots of people coughing and spluttering and because it was minus temperatures all the windows were closed. 

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Press Review: The Bodyguard, The Musical at The Alexandra Theatre

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⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ – “An incredible evening of pure nostalgia.”

Based on Lawrence Kasdan’s 1992 Oscar nominated Warner Bros. movie starring Whitney Houstonand Kevin Costner, The Bodyguard tells the story of the complicated relationship between former Secret Service agent turned bodyguard, Frank Farmer and superstar Rachel Marron, when Farmer is hired to protect her from an unknown stalker. 

‘Each expects to be in charge; what they don’t expect is to fall in love.’

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Press Review: Peter Pan A Musical Adventure (BMOS) at The Alexandra Theatre

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Peter Pan A Musical Adventure is the second BMOS performance to hit the Alexandra Theatre stage this year, and with the festive season upon us, there’s no better time than to travel to the magical world of Never Land! 

Directed by Faye Easto, with book by Willis Hall, music by George Stiles and lyrics by Anthony Drewe, Peter Pan is based on J.M. Barrie’s original play. 

We follow the story of Wendy (Annabel Pilcher), John (Riley Manning) and Michael (Edward Jones) Darling, who listen to a bedtime story from their mother (Jo Smith) each night. Peter Pan (Martin Foley) – the boy who never grows up – sneaks into nursery to listen and is suddenly spooked, accidentally leaving his shadow behind.

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Press Review: Murder in the Dark at the Alexandra Theatre

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⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

What happens when the lights go out?

From the acclaimed writer Torben Betts and directed by Philip Franks, this psychological thriller brings a seemingly endless twists and turns throughout, with plenty of jump-out-of-your-seat moments, interspersed with an unexpected sprinkling of wit.

Similarly to The Mousetrap, it is requested that the audience ‘spread the word but not the spoilers’ once the twists have been revealed, so there is less to say than I would perhaps like, particularly because I thoroughly enjoyed it!

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Press Review: Twelve Angry Men at The Alexandra Theatre

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⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ “Absolutely a must-see show!”

Following a record-breaking West End season, this powerful production of Twelve Angry Men is back in session…

Twelve Angry Men is perhaps best known as one of the most highly-regarded films of its era, rubbing shoulders with the likes of Citizen Kane and The Godfather when it comes to cinematic legacy. Yet the piece actually began life as a television play in 1954, being adapted for the stage the following year. Following its incredibly successful run on the West End, this new production has brought the story back to the Alexandra Theatre stage, ready to remind audiences why this drama has retained its legacy status.

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