Later this month, Rosie Singha will play Neeta in the UK & Ireland Tour of HERE & NOW: The Official Steps Musical alongside a cast including Rebecca Lock as Caz, Jacqui Dubois as Vel and Blake Patrick Anderson as Robbie, and she will be directed by Rachel Kavanaugh. HERE & NOW: The Official Steps Musical opens 29th August at Aylesbury Waterside Theatre, and Rosie will continue in the jukebox musical throughout 2025 and 2026, with the final date currently booking until 16th May at the Marlowe Theatre in Canterbury. For Rosie’s tour debut, she played Judith / cover Juliet (lead) & Lady C in the UK & Ireland Tour of & Juliet, and with both HERE & NOW: The Official Steps Musical and & Juliet, she performed with the casts as guests on Britain’s Got Talent. In 2023, Rosie was in the chorus of Love Never Dies: In Concert at Theatre Royal Drury Lane, and she graduated from The Urdang Academy the following year. Talking to Rosie, she told us about playing Neeta in the UK & Ireland Tour of HERE & NOW: The Official Steps Musical, her time as Judith / cover Juliet & Lady C for the & Juliet tour and being in the chorus of Love Never Dies: In Concert at Theatre Royal Drury Lane in 2023.
From Friday 29th August, you will be playing Neeta in the UK & Ireland Tour of HERE & NOW: The Official Steps Musical, how would you describe your character and can you tell us about the show?
HERE & NOW is set in a Southend bargain store (Better Best Bargains) and follows four friends in their journey to a ‘Summer of Love’. Neeta is the very definition of a lover girl! She works at the store to fund her dreams of going to art college in London, but in turn has made a tight-knit group of friends there that she adores. She has a huge crush on another staff member, Ben, but is far too insecure to do anything about it. She’s such a sweetheart and I’m so delighted to step into her shoes this year!
With the musical having its world premiere at The Alexandra in Birmingham last year, how does it feel to be joining the cast for their first tour and was there anything that drew you to the production?
I couldn’t be more excited to be a part of this incredible show! To have so many original cast members returning for the tour was such a green flag, having started rehearsals, I can see why. Aside from the amazing music, incredible choreography and outrageously cute aesthetic, I was so drawn to this show for the opportunity to play Neeta. It’s so rare that South Asian performers are bolstered for roles that are fully-formed, relatable people who live lives just like you and I, so when I saw the Neeta breakdown on Spotlight – a girl who is so much more than an archetype, with real-world fears, silliness AND a love story – I jumped at the chance to show the team (and younger me) that a role like this can be played by someone like myself.
What are you looking forward to most for touring with HERE & NOW: The Official Steps Musical?
I can’t wait to see the audience reaction. The show obviously has so many great tunes, but it also has a lot of heart and I’m excited for different audiences across the country to fall in love with these gorgeous characters, as I certainly have.
How was it meeting the rest of the cast, which includes your fellow leads Rebecca Lock (Caz), Jacqui Dubois (Vel) and Blake Patrick Anderson (Robbie), for the first time and what is it like being directed by Rachel Kavanaugh?
This cast is nothing short of beautiful in every sense of the word! I was very lucky to meet people bit by bit through the press shoot, Britain’s Got Talent and a few bonus rehearsals for us new starters before meeting with everyone on day one. Becky, Jacqui and Blake were some of the first people I met and they made me feel instantly at ease. Before I joined, I had a little apprehension about fitting into the gorgeous dynamic that the returning cast had already established, but I had nothing to fear, as Jacqui and I were welcomed with open arms and we’re having the loveliest time. I feel very lucky to play alongside such a talented trio and I can’t wait to watch them in awe every night. I don’t have enough words to describe quite how talented and caring everyone in the cast is other than the fact I feel like I’ve won a competition to be in this room! This is no doubt helped by our wonderful creative team, led by Rachel, who fills the room with such energy and positivity. I knew as soon as I walked out of my first audition that I wanted to work with Rachel and, now being lucky enough to say that I have, it’s everything I’d hope it would be and more!
How has it been rehearsing for the musical and what is it like getting into character as Neeta?
Rehearsals have been a JOY, I knew this show would be fun, but I’m still surprised every day by how much fun there is to be had! It’s been lovely getting to figure out how my Neeta fits into the already beautifully created world, set up for me by the sensational Hiba Elchikhe, of whom I’ve always looked up to. One thing I’ve loved doing is making a Neeta playlist. It started as a little exercise to see what I think she’d listen to, but now I listen to it on my way into rehearsals every day.
Do you have a favourite Steps song, and how is it performing their music?
Since starting rehearsals, I instantly loved Better the Devil you Know, it’s so catchy and the way the number is done in the show is so much fun! Every single song in the show is a bop, so it’s really nice to genuinely love hearing every number and I don’t think I’ll ever get sick of the music – especially with these incredible arrangements by Matt Spencer-Smith.
Who do you think will enjoy watching HERE & NOW: The Official Steps Musical, and why would you recommend booking tickets to the tour, which is booking until Saturday 16th May?
I would recommend this show to anyone who loves fun! It’s a feel-good, high-energy night out and everyone will recognise someone they know and love in our characters in one way or another.
How did you feel finding out you’d booked the role of Judith / cover Juliet & Lady C in the UK & Ireland Tour of & Juliet and how did you find the experience touring for the first time?
Booking & Juliet was such a pivotal moment in my life. I think everyone that goes to drama school dreams of booking a job straight out of third year and I don’t take it for granted that my dream did very literally come true.
Touring for the first time was nothing short of a whirlwind, but & Juliet is an amazing musical, and I feel so grateful, looking back on my time with the show, this I was able to play a part in telling that story across the country.
I can’t wait to get back on the road and take HERE & NOW to some familiar venues, but this time with a bit of touring experience on my back.
What was Judith like to play and how was it covering the leading role of Juliet?
Judith was the sweetest character ever and such a dreamy track for me. It taught me so much more than I bargained for; coming out of college thinking I would never be in a dance-heavy ensemble, cut to dancing live in Germany for the New Year’s celebration with members of the Hamburg production.
Going on for Juliet currently stands as the best night of my life. The three Juliets ahead of me (Gerardine Sacdalan, Psalms-Nissi Myers-Reid and Nia Stephen) were absolute powerhouses, so it was such a privilege to follow them and step into Juliet’s world.
We understand you performed with the casts of both musicals on Britain’s Got Talent in the Semi-Finals, can you tell us about this?
Britain’s Got Talent holds a special place in my heart. It was the first performance I did with & Juliet and, almost a year to the day later, I got to do my first performance on the show with HERE & NOW. Both helped me get to know some of my castmates better before diving into rehearsals and both performances felt like such an epic way to start a contract!
In 2023, you were in the chorus of Love Never Dies in Concert at Theatre Royal Drury Lane in the West End, what was the concert like to be part of?
This concert was such an unforgettable experience, with the likes of Norm Lewis playing The Phantom and Celinde Schoenmaker playing Christine. I got selected to sing for the concert as part of the wonderful LMTO (London Musical Theatre Orchestra) chorus during the summer of the second year at college, so it was my first real taste of what it meant to be in a professional working room. The sitzprobe was like nothing I could have ever imagined, and I will never forget the kindness and grace that Norm Lewis showed to every member of the team; he inspired me so greatly over that week and I hope to be half the performer he is one day.
Having graduated from The Urdang Academy in 2024, how was your time as a student?
I had the most amazing time at Urdang. I applied on a whim during COVID because the audition was free, with no belief that they’d ever accept me. Three years and a degree later, I couldn’t imagine training anywhere else! My time at Urdang nurtured me into the performer that I am today, and I owe so much of that to the teachers that helped me along the way. I learnt some invaluable lessons there and I’m so grateful to be able to say I had a wonderful time at drama school.
Where does your love of performing come from and how did you get into it?
My mum loves musical theatre and has taken me to see shows since I was old enough to sit and watch them. We used to have a Wicked CD we played in the car and I knew it inside out and back to front! Despite leaving MT behind for a little while in my teens, singing has always been my greatest passion; I’ve sung for as long as I can remember and I can’t imagine my life without it.
What are some of your favourite theatre shows to watch and which would you like to see that you haven’t done so as yet?
I have and always will love watching Hamilton, that’s a huge dream for me one day. I really adored Standing at the Sky’s Edge when it was on and I’ve seen a few different casts of Hadestown which were incredible. Extra special shoutout to Hell’s Kitchen on Broadway, that’s my favourite show I’ve ever seen, and I hope it transfers so I can see it again. I’ve been meaning to watch The Great Gatsby since the cast album was released, I think the music is divine so that’s definitely next on my list.
How do you like to spend your free time?
I love baking and I love being able to bake for people, which tends to score me a few friends on tour! I think it’s so vital to have a hobby that’s not performing adjacent and baking/cooking is definitely that for me.
Follow Rosie on: