'Now. Here. This.' is the Musical That Might Just Save Your Soul

by Chris Peterson, OnStage Blog Founder

There are some musicals that blow you away with spectacle—swinging chandeliers, helicopters landing on stage, ensemble members defying gravity eight times a week. And then there’s Now. Here. This.—a little musical with no fireworks, no flying, and (mercifully) no turntable. Just four people, a museum, and a whole lot of existential honesty.

And honestly? It might be one of the most life-affirming musicals I’ve ever seen.

I recently wrote my list of what I thought were the 10 Most Underrated Musicals of the last 25 years. Someone mentioned Now. Here. This. in the comments and I did a complete face palm. They were right. It should have made my list. So I want to make sure I give this piece its flowers.

Written by the same team behind [title of show] (Jeff Bowen, Hunter Bell, Susan Blackwell, and Heidi Blickenstaff), Now. Here. This. is like an hour and a half therapy session that sings to you about sea turtles, high school trauma, and the fleeting nature of time—all while somehow managing to be both hilarious and devastating in equal measure.

The premise is simple: four friends wander through a natural history museum, each exhibit sparking a memory, a fear, or a wildly specific childhood story. But what unspools is a beautifully honest meditation on presence—being now, being here, being this. And if you’re anything like me, somewhere between “Dazzle Camouflage” and “Give Me Your Attention,” you’ll find yourself laughing at a lyric and then immediately having a minor identity crisis. The good kind.

There’s something sacred about the way this show elevates the ordinary. A school dance becomes a battleground for self-worth. A hallway conversation becomes a lifeline. And a middle school talent show turns into a moment of glorious self-acceptance (shoutout to “Members Only”).

It’s a show that doesn’t try to be more than it is. We’ve all struggled to stay present. We’ve all looked back on a younger version of ourselves and wished we’d been kinder. We’ve all wondered if we’re missing the moment we’re in while we’re trying to capture it on our metaphorical iPhone.

(Now. Here. This. came out in 2012, so the iPhone thing is mostly metaphorical. But still. The point stands.)

So if you’ve never seen it, do yourself a favor: listen to the cast recording. Watch the off-Broadway production. Let Susan Blackwell break your heart with “That’ll Never Be Me,” and then let Jeff Bowen stitch it back together with “Golden Palace.”

Because Now. Here. This. is the rare kind of musical that reminds you—gently, hilariously, and with harmonies—that this moment is enough. That you are enough.

And sometimes, that’s the show we need the most.