SMS Studios 
The Rose Theatre, Eastleigh
Jon Cockeram 
09 April 2026
Stepping Out is a 1984 play by Richard Harris, known both for his screenwriting credits for shows such as The Avengers and The Sweeney as well as his career of writing comedic plays. The show revolves around a weekly tap dance class full of enthusiastic (and rather quirky) amateur ladies (and one lonely gentleman!) who are brought together by their teacher, accompanied by an irascible pianist, to take part in a public performance. The play showcases their journeys, both in terms of skill and personal issues, whilst complicated routines are taught, changed and rechanged and tempers fray until the climactic final performance.
The programme notes that this is one of a series of plays performed under the banner of SMS Studios, an offshoot of Southampton Musical Society, which gives people the opportunity to try producing or directing a show in a lower pressure environment compared to a full scale musical, as well as trying out smaller or less well known shows and being able to showcase talents that may not necessarily come across in your typical musical. And if this is the standard that SMS bring to their smaller plays, the rest of them are definitely well worth watching!
The entire cast brought their characters vividly to life, each one well differentiated and nuanced. It was a delight to watch the actors allow their characters to unfold and reveal hidden depths and layers as the story progressed, and there was a great deal of emotional range on show. It’s impossible to point to any single actor as the star of the show as every single one had their moments that let them shine; bold brash characters revealed hidden vulnerabilities, shy and quiet characters suddenly snapped in emotional outbursts. It’s also very clear that the actors were thoroughly enjoying embodying their characters, which only added to the performance, especially when egged on by a very appreciative audience. Each and every one of them should be thoroughly commended.
The show was very nicely staged, with a set that seemed relatively simplistic until transformed for the finale, and the lighting and sound effects worked nicely to support this. If I was going to be critical, the only thing I would note is that, whilst the performance space is small and there’s no need for microphones, some of the quieter characters were occasionally on the too quiet side, which proved problematic when people were talking over each other. There were also a few pauses and gaps in the flow of the play, but I attribute this mainly to opening night nerves, which are entirely understandable.
“But what about the tap dancing”, I hear you cry? As someone who barely has a nodding acquaintance with rhythm and whose idea of tap is something to do with a sink, the fact that all the actors were able to pull off such good routines and work together is incredibly impressive, both when in their rehearsals (being able to do something wrong at the right time is as hard sometimes as to do it right at the right time) and in the dazzling final performance. Everyone’s character came through in their way of dancing, as well as in the acting, which is not an easy feat! I left with my toes tapping and a swing in my step – I just hope no-one saw my disastrous attempts to replicate some of the moves on my way back to my car.
The show continues with evening performances on Friday 10th and Saturday 11th as well as a matinee performance on Saturday. Get your dancing shoes on and go watch this show – you won’t be disappointed.
