Here & Now: The Show That Definitely Wasn’t A Tragedy!
- Lucy Moon
- 2 days ago
- 5 min read
Hello world! Welcome back to another blog. Today I will be taking you through my thoughts of a show I saw called “Here & Now”. This is a new Jukebox Musical featuring the songs from the brilliant band Steps, which I saw on 16th November 2025 at the Theatre Royal & Concert Hall in Nottingham.
As stated on the website, the premise of the show goes as follows:
"It's Friday night and the vibe is right as Caz and her fabulous friends dream of the perfect summer of love. But when Caz discovers her 'happy ever after' was a lie, and the gang's attempt at romance are a total tragedy, they wonder - will love ever get a hold on their hearts? Or should the all just take a chance on a happy ending..."
Lara Denning took on the role Caz. She was definitely the mother hen in this show, and as seen in the show, she doesn’t take on her own advice she gives to those around her. That is most certainly true when she decides to start a new life with her ex Gareth (who I’ll mention in a moment), who eventually found out that he hadn’t and possibly never will change. I also liked how she opened up about her her baby loss in a way that’s not traumatic, which Lara tackled this subject beautifully. I can ask see why she took up Max’s (who I’ll mention later on) to help with her journey, but was soon able to save the day when things didn’t quite go to plan.. And I must say, she also has a strong set of lungs, as the songs may sound simple singing, when in fact I don’t think they are.
Jacqui Dubois took on the role of Val, Caz colleague and closest friend. She was everything a character was needed in a show. Kind, considerate, funny, and I feel like Jacqui’s one liners landed at the perfect timing. I definitely think that if she hasn’t already, she should look at taking up stand up comedy, as I think I laughed more at her stuff than anything else.
Rosie Singha took on the role of Neeta. What I love about her is her quirkiness and giddiness, particularly when it came to her feelings for fellow colleague Ben. I also loved her voice, particularly in the Megamix where she went all out, and like Lara, she definitely has a strong set of lungs.
Dean Rickards took on the role of Robbie, who was also an understudy for the show. I may not be homosexual, but I do relate to Robbie on not wanting to go further when getting to know people due to past insecurities. But his character showed me that if he can let someone accept them for who they are then so can I! And I’ve said it before but I’ll say it again, if it wasn’t for understudies like Dean, there would be no show!
Genevieve Taylor took on the role of manager of Better Best Bargins Patricia (who was also an understudy). I definitely loved her character, and she definitely brought a lot of humour to the show, as well as helping Caz when the shop lands in trouble. And NAME did a good job as asserting her status as a manager style whilst also adding in the humour, and if she ever gets picked to be an understudy for the rest of the tour, she definitely will have her preparation skills at the ready.
There were two villains in the show, each having an affect on Caz for different reasons.
Edward Baker-Duly took on the role of Max. Now even I was fooled by his charming nature, and I hated how he used Caz’s trauma to gain the upper hand in gaining what he wants. And you know when you play a villain well, when you get booed at the end of the curtain call. But that means that he took on board the character in the correct way, and it also reminded me of Hans from frozen, showing that looks fan really be deceiving.
Chris Grahamson took on the role of Gareth, Caz’s partner. Like Max, I’m sure he’s a nice person in real life, but he definitely did his job at playing the bad guy, as the audience didn’t cheer for him during the curtain call. But I thought that NAME took on this role brilliantly, as playing someone pretending to care is something that is more difficult than you’d think, as acting in itself is all about pretend.
John Stacey took on the role of Leslie, Val's estranged husband. I loved the quirky bubbly personality he brought to this character, and he wasn’t a bad person, but that Val just simply wasn’t enough for him. But he was always there to help those in need, particularly in act 2 where he reveals a secret about Gareth, and if it wasn’t for people like Leslie, Caz might still be with him.
Lauren Woolf took on the role of delivery worker Tracy. Tracy was always there for Val if ever she needed someone to confide in, and their singing was delightful to see. The harmonies, the emotion when Val and Tracy express their feelings, and the chemistry was off the scale. And I also loved Tracy’s correction to Val when she revealed who Sophie really was.
Ben Darcy took on the role of Ben, Neeta’s fellow colleague and crush. I can see why she likes him, and Ben doing multiple facial expressions after the “Half Price Hoedown” really got my funny bones tickling. And I just think that they have brilliant chemistry, and Rosie and Ben really did show that to the stage when Neeta and Ben confided in their feelings for each other.
Finally, River Medway took on the role of drag artist Jem. I loved him for many reasons, but particularly during a duet with Robbie, along with his solo number (where I won't say as I want to let anyone reading this see for themselves) where I absolutely LOVED his outfit. It’s safe to say we all need a Jem in our lives, and without him, people like Robbie wouldn’t be able to see that we cannot let our past stop us from finding true love.
The songs in the show were of course going to be good. But for obvious reasons my personal favourites were “Tragedy” and “5678”, as those were the songs I knew from the band very well. But the whole soundtrack was brilliant, and I can see why it’s the best next jukebox musical after mamma Mia.
I don’t think I have any downsides to the show, but I guess the thing that did annoy me was someone having their phone on during a emotional moment. I also thought as well the crowd could’ve waited until the end of Caz's ballad in act 2 for them to cheer. And finally I wouldn’t say I’m a Steps fanatic, which is probably why I couldn’t be fully invested in the finale, but I appreciate the hard work that went into it for those who are Steps fanatics.
Overall I would give the show a 4.9. It had humour, drama, emotional moments and a message that your happily ever after will come.
And that is it for my review or “Here & Now”. Click the link below to find out which venue and dates the show will come to next if you haven’t seen it.
Here is also a video on Instagram of when I went to see it in Nottingham, along with snippets of what I got up to before and after!
See you soon for another blog. Until next time…
This is The Autistic Actress signing off :)
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