Even in the darkest moments, there is a light that never goes out – and the spotlight deserves to keep shining on this new musical!
Box of Tricks brings its latest production How Soon Is Now? to The Lowry as part of their 20th anniversary celebrations. Written by Siân Owen and directed by Adam Quayle, this new musical is set in a Manchester nightclub fittingly named Deja Vu on New Year’s Eve 1997, following Jean, Angie and Polly as their lives come together, and their past gets unravelled, in the space of one night.
The live music is one of the biggest strengths of the production, featuring much-loved indie hits from the 1990s such as There Is A Light That Never Goes Out and No Surprises. The songs fit naturally into the story and help to create the atmosphere of the nightclub, while having the musicians performing live gives the show a real sense of energy and liveliness. LJ Willow and Theo Woolford make a great musical contribution to the live sound through their instrumentals and backing vocals, helping the music to feel like a central part of the evening rather than simply a backing track.
The cast are a key highlight of the performance. Bethan McLean, Kaitlyn Akinpelumi and Laura Robinson bring a lot of personality to their performance, with Kaitlyn and Laura’s chemistry making their friendship at the heart of the story particularly easy to invest in. Each character has their own struggles and ambitions, and the cast’s performances help to engage the audience making the relationships feel authentic and natural.
Darragh Cowley also makes a strong impression as DJ Spin Jim. There is plenty of charm in his performance, with Cowley helping to keep the energy moving whilst connecting the music to the story. His character fits naturally into the nightclub setting and adds an enjoyable, narrative-style layer to the production. Theo Woolford’s triple threat abilities deserve an individual shoutout also, as he navigates between acting, drums, and dancing seamlessly without breaking the flow of the production.
The design helps to establish the 1997 nightclub setting, and there is a strong sense of the nightclub environment when the production is at its most energetic, and the musical direction brings everything together and ensures the soundtrack remains one of the evening’s central attractions.
There is plenty of humour throughout, but underneath the music and atmosphere is a story about friendship, belonging, and trying to work out where life is heading. That gives the production something more substantial than simply recreating the music of the period. There is a real warmth to the character’s relationships, particularly as the characters begin to reveal more about themselves.
The main criticism comes with the pacing of the first half. There is quite a lot of build-up and question marks that stay lingering before the story really starts to move forward, and at times it feels as though the audience is waiting for the plot to come together. It can also feel slightly underdeveloped in places, with some characters and situations leaving the impression that there was more that could have been explored.
Thankfully, the second half has much more momentum. The relationships become clearer and the story feels more purposeful, allowing the music and performances to work together more effectively. Although the slower opening does provide important groundwork for the rest of the performance, there are a lot of engaging plot lines within this production which could have benefited from more time, depth and focus.
How Soon Is Now? is an enjoyable celebration of 1990s indie culture that benefits enormously from its live music and talented cast. Siân Owen’s writing and Adam Quayle’s direction create a production with plenty of heart, and a very authentic, heartwarming and engaging cast. With LJ Willow and Theo Woolford adding so much to the live music, and the cast’s incredible vocals, the music is undoubtedly one of the production’s biggest highlights.
How Soon Is Now? ran from 1st to 3rd October 2026 at The Lowry in Salford Quays before continuing its UK tour.