Iconic songs from pop group Steps’ repertoire provide the backdrop for a brand-new musical premiering at Birmingham theatre The Alexandra next month. A celebration of love and friendship, Here & Now is helmed by former Birmingham Rep artistic director Rachel Kavanaugh. 

What’s On recently caught up with Rachel to find out more about the new musical...

Midlands theatre The Alexandra will next month host the world premiere of new musical Here & Now. 
Based on songs by pop band Steps, the show tells the tale of four friends - Caz, Vel, Neeta and Robbie - as they steer their way through a summer filled with happiness, heartache, hurt and humour.

Written by Shaun Kitchener and helmed by former Birmingham Rep artistic director Rachel Kavanaugh, the musical features a host of hit Steps tracks, including Last Thing On My Mind, Heartbeat, Tragedy, Chain Reaction, One For Sorrow and 5,6,7,8.

Rachel, who has directed West End blockbusters including Half A Sixpence and The Great British Bake Off Musical since her time at The Rep (from 2006 to 2011), says that the songs are the perfect backdrop to the show’s storyline.

“Here & Now is a completely original story with new characters. It’s not about Steps, but we use their songs to tell the story. It’s brilliant for people who love Steps, but I think that even if you don’t know the songs, you’ll still enjoy it.

“Shaun has very cleverly interwoven the songs and the story. It’s set in a British seaside town and is about four friends who set themselves a task over one summer. The thing that is incredibly appealing about it is that the characters are incredibly recognisable. They’re just ordinary people with ordinary everyday dilemmas to do with having children, marriage breakups, commitment issues in relationships, not being able to tell someone that you’ve had a crush on them for ages, issues to do with sexuality - all kinds of stuff, but it’s presented very lightly and is great fun.”

The show also explores how friendship can bring together people with very diverse life experiences.

“Because it’s set in a supermarket, and all kinds of people of all ages work in a supermarket, the friendship group is two early-middle-aged people and two younger people, all from different heritages, so it’s incredibly inclusive in so many ways.

“We use the songs to express all these emotions, but it’s mostly about those four people trying to achieve something for a party by the end of the summer. It’s really saying, seize the day, have fun, hold your loved ones tight, and have a good dance!”

Here & Now follows in the tradition of productions like Mamma Mia!, set to Abba hits, Greatest Days, based around Take That songs, and We Will Rock You, featuring Queen tracks. Rather than telling the story of the bands, these shows use their songs as a backdrop to a totally different story. And, says Rachel, the beauty of such shows is that they not only follow a narrative but also bring something new to the songs themselves.

“I think there’s always a challenge, when the songs are very well known, to make people hear them in a new setting. In a musical, if we get it right, you hear the lyrics more. The audience will hear the songs they know and love - they might be sung in a slightly different way, but they will be recognisable as those pop songs - but what the musical should do is make you hear the words in a slightly new way because they are connected to a particular moment in a story.

“With good pop songs, you love them not just because they’re musically catchy but because you connect to the sentiment in them. And lots of pop songs are about love: disappointed love, or hopeful love, or a celebration of love. 

“Part of the task which these four friends are set over the summer is to do with love. So when one of them falls for someone, it makes great sense to sing Love’s Got A Hold On My Heart, or Say You’ll Be Mine, or It’s The Way You Make Me Feel. They all work brilliantly at certain moments in the show. It’s all about placement and about who sings them.”

Featuring Claire Richards, Faye Tozer, Ian ‘H’ Watkins, Lee Latchford-Evans and Lisa Scott-Lee, Steps formed in 1997. They went on to have 14 top-five singles, release four chart-topping albums, sell 22 million records, and pack out arenas on 11 sold-out tours.

As co-producers of the musical, along with ROYO and Coventry-born pop legend Pete Waterman, the band have been heavily involved in the creation of Here & Now.

“I’ve been meeting with them at every stage of the development,” says Rachel. “I met them first of all just to meet them. Then we did a workshop earlier in the year, which they all came to, and they give notes on the show. They’ve all got opinions and they are incredibly supportive. 

“I think people have been talking to them for a long time about doing a musical using their music, but it’s never felt quite right until this proposal [was put] to them. And it’s great to have Pete on board because his wisdom and knowledge of the music is extraordinary.”

Beginning her career as an assistant director in the 1990s, Rachel has worked on countless shows - many of which were premiered at Birmingham Rep. These included A Doll’s House with Tara Fitzgerald, Hapgood with Josie Lawrence, and Arthur And George, based on a true story set in the West Midlands.

Her career has featured musicals and both classic and new drama.

“I really like doing new musicals. It’s both the hardest and the most rewarding kind of theatre to do because there’s so much at stake - but if you get it right, you can create something that’s really joyous or really moving, or hopefully both. 

“I also love Steps, and I think for people of my age the band have come round a second time. I think that’s one of the very clever things about doing this musical now - that hopefully people of different ages will enjoy the music, and that parents will take their children, or groups of friends will go.”

With her strong links to Birmingham, Rachel is delighted Here & Now will be premiering in the city.

“I’m thrilled it opens at the Alex because I love Birmingham. I’ve never worked at the Alex, so it’s great to have a show originate there. I think it’s great that it’s going to be done first of all in a city, and also a diverse city, and also a city that has such a good history with musicals and new writing. It’s a perfect home for it. 

“It would be lovely both to tour it and take it to London afterwards, but at the moment this is the premiere and we want to get it right for Birmingham first. People will have a really, really good time, a proper fun night out. They might cry a bit, but they’re mostly going to laugh and want to sing along and dance.”

on Wed, 09 Oct 2024

Here & Now, a brand-new musical featuring the music of Steps, is premiering at Birmingham theatre The Alexandra in the autumn. What’s On spoke to the group - that’s Lee Latchford-Evans, Faye Tozer, Lisa Scott-Lee, Ian ‘H’ Watkins and Claire Richards - to find out more about the show. 

Why a Steps musical, and why now?

Lee: Why not? We’ve been talking about it for at least 10 years and seriously getting into it for the last five. We’ve had loads of different creative ideas, and we’ve got an amazing team around us. Yesterday, we got to see it come off the page, with actors and actresses, and listening to the music. It’s all coming together! We’re really excited. 

What sparked the idea to create this now?

Faye: We knew we were taking a break at this time, and we partnered up with ROYO, the producers - it’s just all interfaced perfectly. The writer and director and choreographer and the team that we’ve got is perfect for what we need, and for the show we envisaged. 

So going forward, what’s your involvement?

H: We’re co-producers, don’t you know!
Lisa: We’ve actually produced all of our tours, so it’s a role that we’ve taken before. We wanted to make sure that we stayed true to Steps and the songs, and that it all fitted in. We were in the right place at the right time with the right team - it’s all fallen into place!
Faye: We’ve all been really creative about tours, whether it’s to do with the set list, the costumes, lighting, set design... stuff like that. All of us are very passionate about it - and we are about this as well. So even though we have to give some of the creativity away, it’s really nice to say this is what we need it to be for our fans.

Talking of your fans, they’re already bringing a fantastic energy to Here & Now...

H: We’ve seen them this morning, queueing up outside! Nobody knows what the story’s about yet, but they know it’s set in a supermarket. Some of the fans have turned up today with Here & Now overalls on - so they’re already entering into the spirit of it. I love that.

Why did you choose Here & Now for the show’s title?

Claire: When we were talking about songs, it would have been really easy to call it 5,6,7,8, or One For Sorrow, or Tragedy. It’s going to appeal to Steps fans first and foremost, but we want it to be a musical that stands alone, that theatregoers and musical theatre lovers will want to go and see. If it was very obviously a Steps song, I think it would have put us into too small a box.
Lee: I think Here & Now is a timeless title.
H: When you know the story of the piece, then Tragedy or One For Sorrow aren’t right at all.
Faye: The story is very much about the here and now, isn’t it? About grabbing life with both hands and taking chances on happy endings.

Which hit are you most excited about seeing performed by somebody else on stage?

Lee: Stomp is quite a big scene, with quite a lot going on - so I’m looking forward to that one.
Claire: I’m actually looking forward to 5,6,7,8. That one had to go in the show because that’s our original song. The way they’ve done it is absolutely brilliant. It’s tongue in cheek, and it’ll be absolutely hilarious.
H: It feels completely legit that it’s there as well. Talking about costumes - people like to dress up as us, so maybe there will be some of that in the audience... That’s very cryptic, but you’ll get it!

Some of you are quite well versed in the world of musical theatre. Would any of you be tempted to appear in the musical?

Faye: We were laughing and saying it would be really funny if we did ‘surprise appearances’ - but not actually to be in the show, no.
Lee: Not to star in it or anything.
Faye: It would be funny if we just popped up on the merch stand...

Which of your songs best represents the story of your band?

H: Tragedy!
Faye: Neon Blue.
Lee: I was going to go with Neon Blue
H: The message in that song encapsulates us. Especially with the climate that the world is in at the moment, I think people need escapism and a safe place, and I really think we provide that for people.

Will any of the classic dance routines be featured in the musical?

Lisa: We have an award-winning choreographer, Matt Cole, who choreographed Newsies...
H: And his job’s very easy, because he’ll just do Steps dances!
Lisa: We’ve discussed it with him and asked what he envisages creatively, and he said it would be great to have a nod to all of our iconic dance moves, but he’s going to create something new as well. I think we’re all excited to see what he will create.
Lee: To appeal to somebody who doesn’t really know Steps. If it was full of our routines, the people who don’t know us wouldn’t really get it.

What’s been your proudest moment together?

H: Four number-one hits in four different decades - that’s something to be chuffed about. I think we’ve surprised a lot of people...
Claire: Proving people wrong since 1997!

As our interview drew to a close, the group were given a box-office update: an amazing 10,000 ticket sales had just been confirmed - on the very first day that sales were open. Make sure to book soon, to grab a seat at a musical that promises to be heartwarming, hilarious, and a great night out.

on Mon, 04 Mar 2024