REVIEW OF HERE AND NOW By Lynn Carroll

October 8, 2025

I will state right off the bat that ‘Juke Box Musicals’ are definitely not my favourite stage genre and in the interests of truth and honesty I cannot pretend to have enjoyed this one. However, before you take my words at face value and decide not to bother with this show I would remind you of the well known words of poet John Lydgate (1370-1451), later adapted by Abraham Lincoln and used in many forms since: “You can please some of the people all of the time, you can please all of the people some of the time, but you can’t please all of the people all of the time”.

With that in mind I would further say that my attitudes and preferences are rooted in a different time. Change accelerates with the years. Go back as little as 120 years and you would find 3 or even 4 generations of any class of people wearing the same clothing, eating the same food and watching the same stage shows. Today I doubt very much if you would find an elderly grandmother wearing a crop top and daisy dukes because times and fashions are changing so rapidly that each generation is no longer a reflection of the one before, and so it is with taste in theatre.

I yearn for the days when productions were of the quality and story-telling of shows like Phantom, Les Mis, Starlight Express etc. and whilst these shows are still extremely popular I imagine not so much with the younger generations. I know this from a personal 3 generational visit to see Phantom a few years ago!

So, to cut to the chase I am convinced that shows like ‘Here and Now’ will appeal enormously to the younger audiences and also to older ones who do not fall into the category of an old dinosaur like me. The patrons all around me showed their appreciation of the show with much clapping, laughing and a variety of positive vocals.

Although I am very familiar with ‘Steps’ I did not recognize any of their songs, on which the show is based, until the second half, and then because a couple were covers of Bee Gee’s hits. The music seemed to be louder than necessary which meant the songs were belted out in a loud, harsh manner to compensate. There were no dazzling costumes, the set was the same throughout with a few props wheeled on and off and it was ‘my bad’ (to get down with the younger generation) as I thought this was going to be the story of Steps, the group. There was a thread of a story which, during the final scenes, tied things up neatly.

I don’t like to single out certain actors for praise but one or two did stand out for me, whether for talent or portrayal of a character is often hard to distinguish. Jacqui Dubois had a lovely voice when not required to sing too loudly in the odd solo and Blake Patrick Anderson played his part admirably, very charismatic and perfect for the role of Robbie. For humour I have to mention Lauren Woolf as Tracey, timing and mannerisms were spot on. There was a wide range of ages within the cast but despite almost constant singing and dancing all of them showed amazing energy and enthusiasm.

Younger family members I am sure, will love this show so take them along because I am sure that many of their elders will enjoy it too.