Stepping Out is a 1991 American musical comedy film directed by Lewis Gilbert, written by Richard Harris (based on his 1984 play Stepping Out) and starring Liza Minnelli. Plot Mavis Turner conducts instruction in tap dancing inside a Buffalo, New York church basement. Once an aspiring Broadway hoofer, Mavis is now merely trying to make ends meet, while also struggling with a personal relationship with a career-frustrated musician boyfriend. With the glum Mrs. Fraser accompanying on piano, Mavis tries to teach tap to a class of colorful women and a solitary man, the bashful Geoffrey. Few are aware at first that one woman, Andi, is seeking a form of escape from a physically abusive husband. Others with a variety of extroverted personalities attend class simply for their own amusement, occasionally getting on each other's nerves. Concerned about money and keeping the class going, Mavis learns of a talent competition and persuades the group that it can compete. While dealing with their personal issues, the "Mavis Turner Tappers" end up performing a glamorous, glitzy number on stage, flawed but rewarding to all. Cast Most of the actors are Broadway-level actors and performers, several of whom have won Tony Awards, specifically Minnelli, Jane Krakowski, Andrea Martin, Bill Irwin and Ellen Greene (nominee). Shelley Winters and Minnelli are Academy Award winners, and Walters is an Oscar nominee as well as being a BAFTA and Golden Globe Award winner. Carol Woods was the only member of the Broadway cast to appear in the film. Liza Minnelli as Mavis Turner, a former Broadway dancer and singer who teaches a tap class in Buffalo, New York Bill Irwin as Geoffrey, a shy insurance salesman, and the only man in the group Ellen Greene as Maxine, a cute, funny, and slightly wild mom Robyn Stevan as Sylvia, a loud-mouthed buddy of Rose. Jane Krakowski as Lynne, a sensitive Registered Nurse, one of the best dancers Sheila McCarthy as Andi, a mousey, insecure battered wife Andrea Martin as Dorothy, a naive but sincere housewife with an allergy problem Julie Walters as Vera, a wealthy but inadvertently abrasive woman Carol Woods as Rose, a vibrant woman with a teenage son who gets into trouble Shelley Winters as Mrs. Glenda Fraser, a dour rehearsal pianist Luke Reilly as Patrick, Mavis's conceited, insensitive boyfriend Nora Dunn as Pam, director of the upscale dance center, a rival to Mavis Eugene Robert Glazer