Here & Now: Steps talk ahead of their musical heading to Sheffield

Heading to the Lyceum Theatre, Sheffield this November is Here & Now, a hilarious and heart-warming new musical based on the songs of the multi-million-selling pop phenomenon, Steps. The sparkling celebration of love and friendship features many of Steps’ iconic hits, including ‘5, 6, 7, 8’, ‘Stomp’, ‘Better Best Forgotten’, and ‘Last Thing On My Mind’. Here’s an interview with the band as they prepare to bring their story-inspired musical to the stage.

“Exactly the right time”

With 22 million record sales and 500 million streams under their belts, Steps remain the UK’s most successful mixed-gender group. Since their 1997 breakthrough with ‘5,6,7,8’, Claire Richards, Faye Tozer, Ian ‘H’ Watkins, Lee Latchford-Evans and Lisa Scott-Lee have racked up 14 top five singles, four number one albums and sold out arenas across 11 tours. So why has it taken until now for a Steps musical?

“We feel this is exactly the right time for Here & Now,” says Lisa, of a show co-produced with ROYO and Pete Waterman, the hitmaker who once famously described Steps as “ABBA on speed”. First premiering in Birmingham last year, the show is now heading out on a major UK and Ireland tour. Written by Shaun Kitchener, directed by Rachel Kavanaugh and choreographed by Matt Cole, Lisa describes the creative line-up as “the dream team”.

“A heartwarming night of humour”

Claire shares Lisa’s enthusiasm for what she calls “a heartwarming night of humour and hilarity”. “You can expect exactly what you’d expect from a Steps concert,” she adds. “Coming away from it feeling like you’ve seen an amazing show, uplifted, and had that element of escapism for a couple of hours.”

Shaun Kitchener’s original book revolves around a seaside superstore called Better Best Bargains on a Friday night where everyone’s dancing in the aisles, until Caz discovers the shelves are stocked with lies and betrayal.

As the characters grapple with love and heartbreak, Steps’ hits weave naturally into the drama. “We’re not trying to shoehorn songs in there,” Lee explains. “It’s about getting the story right, then seeing which song fits emotionally.”

Image: Pamela Raith

“It’s own tale”

H agrees: “Lyrically our songs have many layers. Although they’re upbeat and happy, sometimes they have a darker undertone and that makes for great storytelling.” Faye nods: “When we’ve had feedback from our fans, they’ll say our music has been the soundtrack of their lives. With this show, we wanted to make sure that story and those characters were relatable.”

Formed through auditions in 1997, Steps shocked fans by splitting in 2001 before reuniting in 2011. Since then, they’ve released four huge-selling albums, including the 2022 best-of Platinum Collection. But Here & Now, which borrows its title from their 2001 single, is not their life story. “This is a completely standalone story,” Claire insists. “We wanted it to be its own tale and let the music do the talking.”

Director Rachel Kavanaugh brings a wealth of stage experience, from Shakespeare to The Great British Bake Off Musical. Choreographer Matt Cole, feted for his work on Newsies, promises fresh routines while incorporating nods to the band’s trademark moves. “It’s not going to be low-key,” Faye teases. “We wanted moments of escapism where it feels very much Steps.”

Among the hits making it into the show are ‘Tragedy/Heartbeat’, ‘Stomp’, ‘One for Sorrow’, ‘Better Best Forgotten’ and ‘Love’s Got a Hold on My Heart’. “It’s always a nice problem to have too many hits,” laughs H. “But this time we’ve been careful to think about the lyrics and how they work in the story.”

“Escapism”

Steps have always promised their audience a good time, and the new musical is no exception. “Everybody needs escapism in their life at some point and that’s what we’re bringing,” Lee says. Claire adds that the band are fully focused on making the show a success, putting recording and touring on hold for now: “We want to give it the best chance and be as involved as we can.”

For Lisa, the excitement is mutual: “Everybody’s so happy to be on board. They’ve told us they’ve turned down other projects to work with us. They really want to be part of this journey for Steps.”

Here & Now comes to the Lyceum Theatre, Sheffield, in November 2025 as part of its UK and Ireland tour.

Main image: Phil Tragen