Steps have announced the new musical ‘Here and Now’.
Named after their noughties hit from the 2000 album ‘Buzz’, the pop group have co-produced the show with the production company ROYO and music industry veteran Peter Waterman, with Shaun Kitchener writing from his original book.
Fans can expect a show packed with their greatest hits, which include ‘Tragedy’, ‘Heartbeat’, ‘Stomp’, ‘One For Sorrow’, ‘Better Best Forgotten’, ‘5,6,7,8’, ‘Last Thing On My Mind’, ‘Love’s Got A Hold Of My Heart’, and ‘Chain Reaction’, and famous dance routines.
The ‘Here and Now’ plot reads: “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 a statement, the chart-topping group – made up of Claire Richards, Ian ‘H’ Watkins, Lee Latchford-Evans, Lisa Scott-Lee and Faye Tozer – said: “We’ve been lucky to do many things together as a band, but the question we get asked again and again is ‘where is the Steps musical?’ Well…it’s finally here and we couldn’t be more excited.
“We’ve searched for the perfect story for our music and we’ve found it in the aisle of a seaside superstore, where four friends set out on their own Summer of Love. It’s a story of friendship, romance and community; packed with our biggest hits and sure to have everybody laughing, crying and dancing in the aisles. We can’t wait to open the doors later this year, and see you there!”
The musical will open at The Alexandra in Birmingham for a limited run from November 9 to 24.
Steps have achieved two number-one albums in the UK, 14 consecutive UK top-5 singles including two number-ones (one a double A-side), and a string of hits across Europe.
Their 2022 ‘Platinum Collection’ compilation debuted at number one in the UK, making Steps the first British, mixed-gender group to achieve four number-one albums in four different decades.
Head to www.atgtickets.com/venues/birmingham for tickets.