Here and Now - Theatre Royal Plymouth - UK Tour Review

‘It’s time to begin, now count me in’

If the last line of the show’s introduction isn’t enough to indicate what is about to happen, the neon shades of blue and pink and the energy that bounces in the show’s opening moments should throw you head first into the silliness and jukebox fun that is ‘Here and Now’, a musical putting the song stylings of Steps into the spotlight and milking it for all it is worth.

Set in Better Best Bargains, a seaside supermarket, ‘Here and Now’ tells the story of friends Caz (Lara Denning), Vel (Jacqui Debois), Neeta (Rosie Singha) and Robbie (Blake Patrick Anderson) as they set out determined to have their own summer of love. But when Caz’s husband walks away at a pivotal moment in their relationship as they strive to build their family, she finds herself roped into secrecy, blackmail and desperation that will see her to work to both save the supermarket and the relationships with her friends.

Lara Denning showcases some powerful vocals paired with a heartfelt storyline here, handling the pop hits with ease and creating a character that is lovable and sweet, despite some questionable decisions. Caz dreams of a family, but finds herself met with barrier after barrier, but she never loses sight of that dream. Jacqui Debois plays her right-hand women, best friend of over 20 years, Vel. Facing her own choices about romance, Vel is always quick with the cheeky replies and ideas, with Debois earning many of laugh from the audience.

Neeta, played by Rosie Singha, is kind, bright and altogether relatable, struck by scatter brain and scrambled words whenever the person she not so secretly adores, Ben Darcy’s Ben, comes into the picture. Both earn laughs and applause as they awkwardly pass and communicate, with Darcy proving a natural at physical comedy and the pairs act two duet proving a particular highlight. It is Blake Patrick Anderson’s Robbie that perhaps makes the biggest impact, pairing humour and light-heartedness with a powerful and impactful backstory that both directs and dictates his every choice.

River Medway as Jem

The cast of here and now

The cast perform on stage

Other standouts in the cast include Sally Ann Matthew’s supermarket boss Patricia, bossy and dominating with her hilarious attempts at the French language, Lauren Woolf’s delivery worker Tracey, always up for a joke, Edward Baker-Duly’s business man Max, who tries is best to always have an answer for everything and River Medway’s drag queen super star Jem, all sparkles and confidence, with a softer side hidden beneath the glamour.

From 'Deeper Shade of Blue', 'Scared of the Dark', and 'Loves Got A Hold of My Heart' to 'One For Sorrow', 'Tragedy' and '5,6,7,8', the Steps song list squeezed into this production is incredibly impressive. Turning a supermarket sale into a hoedown, a admittance of feelings into a dance party and a party song into a love ballad, songs surprisingly don't feel massively shoehorned and for the most part have a reason, a skill for a jukebox musical.

Tom Rogers’ set is big, bold and brightly coloured, a delight of neon light covered supermarket shelves, trolleys, checkouts and a not too subtle reference to ‘5,6,7,8’. Costumes by Gabriella Slade fit seamlessly into this technicolour world, with high vis jackets, many a shade of neon blue and a lot of bright pink.

the cast in the supermarket

Lara Denning as Caz

The storyline is, at times, a little flimsy and unbelievable, but that is a sentiment that could be attached to many a jukebox musical, and that could be exactly why people love them so much. Its escapism in its purest, silliness and most joyful form, and Here and Now doesn’t take itself too seriously, walking the fine line where the fourth wall stays in place yet paper thin, and the cast aren’t afraid to have a laugh with themselves and the audience. Whilst there are a couple of moments that could be seen as a step too close to pretending to be Mamma Mia, where one friend uses an upbeat dance floor hit to cheer up another, ‘Here and Now’ is fun, frivolous and fantastically light-hearted, simply inviting the audience to forget their worries for a couple of hours and embrace the silliness.