Steps honour their queer fans during Here and Now tour, saying musical is ‘an inclusive party for all’ (EXCLUSIVE)
After a record-breaking run in Birmingham, the group admitted they were blown away by the response from fans at the Manchester press night
By Callum Wells
Steps honoured their queer fans during the press night of their Here & Now tour, saying the musical is “an inclusive party for all”.
After a record-breaking run in Birmingham, the group admitted they were blown away by the response from fans while speaking to Attitude at the Manchester Opera House press night.
“We’re absolutely thrilled on the audience response from Birmingham,” said Faye Tozer. “We’ve had tiny little tweaks and nothing too big because it went really, really well. And we’re absolutely thrilled to be here in Manchester opening the official tour.”
“Look at us!” – Ian ‘H’ Watkins on resonating with the LGBTQ+ community
That excitement is matched by pride in creating something uniquely theirs. “It feels really special,” shared Ian ‘H’ Watkins. “It’s something that we’ve worked on for a long time. It was our idea. It feels like we’ve given birth to this beautiful baby. In the show, there’s something for everybody. It represents all of our fans, and it’s somewhere you can live your best life.”
Asked what they hope audiences take away, Claire Richards kept it simple: “I just hope everybody leaves the theatre feeling joy. I always love it when I leave a theatre after seeing a show. You can kind of do a big sigh and go, that was really good, I loved it. That’s what we really want.”
“We would love to welcome everybody. It’s an inclusive party for all” – Lisa Scott-Lee
Of course, their long-standing connection to the LGBTQ+ community is never far from the conversation. “Look at us!” laughed Watkins, when asked why he feels queer fans have connected so deeply with them.
Lisa Scott-Lee added: “We’ve just always said we would love to welcome everybody. It’s an inclusive party for all, and it’s very much like the musical. There’s something for everybody, and we just hope you all come along and enjoy it.”
Reflecting on their nearly three decades together, Richards said the title Here and Now couldn’t feel more fitting. “Gosh, who would have thought, 28 years later, we’re still here!”
Scott-Lee echoed: “It means everything. Our fans have supported us all the way, and we wouldn’t be here without them.”
Glowing four-star review
Here & Now features Steps’ biggest hits, including Tragedy, Heartbeat, One For Sorrow and 5,6,7,8, and follows Caz and her friends navigating love, betrayal and friendship at the seaside superstore Better Best Bargains.
The musical is directed by Rachel Kavanaugh, with choreography by Olivier Award-winning Matt Cole and musical supervision by Matt Spencer-Smith, and stars Rebecca Lock as Caz alongside a talented ensemble of West End and UK tour performers.
With its mix of high-energy performances, beloved songs and queer storylines, Here & Now gives Steps fans, both old and new, a chance to celebrate their legacy.
Attitude gave the show a glowing four-star review last year when content editor Jamie Tabberer went along to the original Birmingham production.