After nearly four decades in the industry, Jacqui Dubois is no stranger to the stage. With a career that spans everything from Rent to The Lion King, Dubois now steps in to the role of Vel in Here & Now, currently touring the UK and Ireland. Set in a hyper-colourful Southend supermarket and soundtracked by the hits of pop group Steps, the show promises a celebration of everyday lives.
“I think it chose me,” Dubois says of their career in theatre. “I didn’t really choose it. It’s been a long 38 years now of doing this.” Starting with dance classes in a local church hall, Dubois found freedom in movement and eventually trained at London Studio Centre. “I had a job in an office and basically hated it,” she recalls. “I bumped into a girl on the Tube who’d just finished performing arts college, and she said, ‘Why don’t you audition?’ So I did, got in, and here I am.”
That journey has led to many great roles and experiences. “I was in the original cast of Rent as Joanne. That was amazing,” Dubois shares. “I worked with Kate Bush on Before the Dawn in 2014. From People, Places and Things, to The Permanent Way, there’s been so many career highlights, honestly, I couldn’t pinpoint one because they’re all great for different reasons.”
Now, Here & Now joins that list. “It’s so joyful,” Dubois says. “Just colourful and just joy.” The musical, set in a fictional supermarket called Better Best Bargains, follows four friends navigating love, identity, and change. “It’s not really a normal supermarket,” Dubois explains. “It’s high gloss pink, blue lights and it’s fantastic.”
Dubois plays Vel, a long-time employee of the store. “Vel has been working at the supermarket for 25 years plus. That is her life. That’s her social life,” Dubois says. “She feels a bit stuck, as if she has no other choices in life. But she finally makes them.” Vel is loyal, outspoken, and vulnerable – a character that Dubois finds refreshing. “It’s lovely just representing some older women, you know, that’s not necessarily about how pretty they are or how slim they are. Just a woman.”
While the show features Steps’ music, it’s not a jukebox biography. “I didn’t really know much Steps music because it’s not really my generation,” Dubois admits. “But now I’m loving singing the songs and doing the dances. It’s really uplifting, poppy, happy times.” Among their favourites? “Stomp probably is one of my favourites. One for Sorrow has been changed into a ballad, and the way Rebecca sings it is outstanding.”
Steps themselves have been involved in the process. “They’ve come to rehearsals a couple of times and came to the opening night,” Dubois says. “They’re really supportive, really encouraging. It’s just really nice when they’re here.”
The cast, too, has made the experience memorable. “Everyone’s just having so much fun,” Dubois says. “Even though the rehearsal period was intense, there’s something about the piece that makes it fun and funny and gets you through the long, hard, arduous work.”
That energy is mirrored in the set design. “It’s branded, all the products are pink and blue and bright,” Dubois says. “I’ve never really thought about trolleys and baskets so much in my life. It’s all incorporated into the movement and choreography.” Seeing the set for the first time was a standout moment. “I just had to go to the designer and say, wow.”
Ultimately, Here & Now is a show for everyone. “It’s a great family show and it crosses generations,” Dubois says. “It doesn’t matter which part of the family you represent – you can all have fun together.” And judging by the nightly audience reactions, that joy is contagious. “At the end of every single performance, the whole audience is up doing the dances and singing at the top of their voices” and for Jacqui Dubois that’s what makes performing in this show so special.
Tour listings and ticket information can be found here.
