Steps bring fans to tears with new musical as they reveal shock storyline on opening night

BRINGING tissues to a musical set to the songs of cheesy pop favourites Steps was, ahem, the Last Thing On My Mind.

But 45 minutes in, I was on the verge of tears as the lives of a handful of shop workers unravelled in an emotional storyline of love, loss and friendship.

Their 1998 song Heartbeat takes on a devastatingly poignant new meaning when shop worker Caz, played by the magnificent Rebecca Lock, opens up about a stillbirth.

While One For Sorrow is a vocal highlight with real emotional depth.

After years in the making, Here & Now has loads of heart — despite being performed from what looks like a super futuristic supermarket on stage.

But Steps fans, fear not, it is just as fabulous and silly as the band themselves.

It is packed with cheeky pop references, camp choreography and they even manage to crowbar their debut hit 5, 6, 7, 8 in without too much of a struggle.

There’s a performance of Chain Reaction on a stage covered in disco balls and dancers in skin-tight silver bodysuits.

And even a megamix of all their hits which is worth the ticket price alone.

With a national tour kicking off next summer, this has the potential to become the biggest jukebox hit since Mamma Mia.

Here & Now

★★★★☆