Break out the Smirnoff Ice and the sparkles – the Steps musical has landed in Norwich, with a nostalgic and slightly nuts show.
Set in a seaside supermarket this jukebox musical has a suitably silly story to fit in a selection of the 90s five piece’s songs, including Better Best Forgotten; Stomp; 5,6,7,8; and the Bee Gees penned hits Tragedy and Chain Reaction.
Shaun Kitchener’s book is surprisingly funny, with lots of cutting one liners as well as an eye for the surreal, giving Gabriella Slade plenty of scope for some fabulous costume designs.
The cast is led by Lara Denning, who carries the bulk of the singing, with the chosen numbers and arrangements leaning more towards the group’s ballads. She clearly has talent but like the rest of the core quartet her performances on opening night in Norwich were a little variable, with her emoting getting too raw in a couple of places.
When she let herself off the leash Rosie Singha gave great rounded vocals, and her comic characterisation was among the most fun to watch too. Jacqui Dubois and Blake Patrick Anderson lacked strength in their singing, not really showing their chops till the closing megamix. Lauren Woolf, Sally Ann Matthews, and John Stacey made the most of the healthy flow of gags in their supporting roles, keeping the show pacey and fun.
The joy of this sort of show is in letting the set pieces wash over you, soaking up the nostalgia as 5,6,7,8 is transformed into a “half-price hoe down” for bargain supermarket prices, or Tragedy becomes about the threatened closure of the discount haven. Better the Devil You Know was the knockout for me, with Chris Grahamson’s kangaroo hops coming out of nowhere as he offered a new life in Oz.
Perhaps the biggest production number was Chain Reaction, featuring River Medway as a giant bag of frozen food before a quick costume change and taking up centre stage atop a row of washing machines. They need to defrost their sass for it to really stun as a big number, but it would be a cold heart indeed that didn’t at least smile at the spectacle.
This isn’t a perfect show but it is packed with surreal song and dance, daft jokes, and above all a trolley load of joy. Go expecting less the refinement of Waitrose No 1 and more the crazed potential of the Middle of Lidl, and you’ll bag yourself a bargain night out.
- Here & Now is at Norwich Theatre Royal until Sunday, 19 April 2026. Tickets £20-£60. Touring nationally.
