Returning to Newcastle Theatre Royal, this time as part of the Here & Now musical (Tue 28 Oct – Sun 2 Nov 2025), Rebecca Lock promises that audiences are in for a theatrical treat. “They can expect a rollercoaster of emotion,” she says, “and it’s so joyful, colourful and funny, as well as featuring moments of emotional drama.”
The show is co-produced by pop superstars Steps and features their most beloved songs,
prompting Rebecca to add with a smile: “Oh and it has the best music you’ll ever hear!
Audiences are taken on a journey and they will leave the theatre on an absolute high.”
“The audience she goes on a real journey,” the actress teases of a character who is an
employee at seaside superstore Better Best Bargains (as a nod to Steps’ 1999 smash hit Better Best Forgotten). “She works there with three friends and at the beginning of the show it looks like Caz has everything she’s ever dreamed of, then her world is shattered.”
Lock is careful not to give spoilers, but it turns out that the shelves of the store are stocked with lies and betrayal and the summer of love (another Steps reference) that Caz and her mates have been dreaming of suddenly seems like a tragedy (ditto!).
She’s no stranger to musical theatre, with a vast CV that includes Elf, Curtains, Heathers, Mary
Poppins and Mamma Mia! to name just a few. As with the latter, she feels Here & Now is a
relatable story “with diverse characters that everyone can relate to”.
Rebecca adds: “And I love playing Caz. I get to do comedy, I get to do pathos, I laugh, I cry and I get to sing all these amazing songs.”
Asked to pick a favourite number in the show, she settles on the slowed-down version of Love’s Got a Hold on My Heart. Then there’s the megamix at the end. “Everyone is up and dancing, and they have the biggest smiles on their faces. And I think we all need a show like this at the moment, with high drama, escapism, bright colours, happiness, some silliness and a bit of campery. And of course some banging tunes.”
Played by Blake Patrick Anderson, Robbie is another store worker. “And he’s a bit of a playboy
and a bit of a commitment-phobe. Caz inspires the group to take a chance on falling in love, so he goes on that journey but his coping mechanism is definitely to be silly. He’s a really fun
character to play.”
Blake was in the original cast and was part of the workshops, admitting with mock
embarrassment: “Back then I didn’t know Steps at all, apart from one or two songs from my
sisters growing up. That’s been a brilliant part of this – getting to learn about their music and how much people love it.”
Returning to the role for the UK is a joy because: “We had such a short run in Birmingham, so
we were still very much exploring and finding the characters. Knowing that I’m going to sit in this character for the next few months is really exciting and the reaction to the show was insanity beyond what I could have imagined! I remember on opening night, as soon as the overture started playing the screams were deafening.”
Blake’s many musical theatre credits include Be More Chill, Gatsby The Musical, Rent and
Closer To Heaven. This show is particularly special to him, as he explains: “For me as a queer
man, there are often stories about moving to the big city and how you have to go and find your community. But Here & Now is about people who have found their community at home. I’m really excited to take this show on tour because it means that a real-life Robbie somewhere is going to see it in his hometown.”
Blake’s favourite song in the show is Say You’ll Be Mine. As for why he feels Steps have such a huge LGBTQ following, he muses: “There’s a lot of camp to their songs and they’re all about having a good time. Having met the band, they are so open and inclusive and so lovely, which is as much a credit to them as it is to their music.”
River Medway is another of the musical’s returnees. A familiar face from the third season of
RuPaul’s Drag Race UK, he plays Jem – a Better Best Bargains customer, Robbie’s love interest and a drag queen. “So it’s the perfect part for me! Jem has his own drag persona, which the audience gets to see when he performs Chain Reaction. Maybe I’m biased but it’s my favourite number in the show.”
Since Drag Race River has toured the country and starred in Unfortunate: The Untold Story of
Ursula the Sea Witch and Death Drop: Back in the Habit. He was hooked in by Here & Now
because: “Steps’ music was a big part of my childhood. I trained in musical theatre and when
this role came up it was like ‘I love musicals, I love pop music, I love Steps and the character is a drag queen. I’m in!'”
There was another reason why River said yes to the role. “With all the other shows I’ve done
before, I’ve been in drag the whole time, whereas here I’m actually playing a real person who is also a drag queen. When we did it in Birmingham last year, it was the perfect amalgamation of so many things all coming together and with an amazing team. The fact that people like Shaun and Rachel, who have done such amazing work before, are involved reinforces just how good a show it really is.”
Echoing the sentiments of his castmates, River feels: “It’s a fantastic musical that has a lot of
heart and tells a lot of really great stories that I think everyone can relate to. It’s about all these different types of people from all different walks of life – different age ranges and ethnicities and body types and sexualities.”
He grins. “And let’s not forget all those amazing Steps songs! They’ve always been really
welcoming to everyone and their shows have always been about having fun and being yourself. The same is true of Here & Now.”
Here & Now plays Newcastle Theatre Royal Tue 28 Oct – Sun 2 Nov 2025. Tickets can be
purchased at www.theatreroyal.co.uk or from the Theatre Royal Box Office on 0191 232 7010.