If you want to see a feel good show this October, one that is filled with music, laughter, dancing and a good story, then ‘Footloose’ is the show for you!
Based on the 1984 film where city boy Ren McCormack moves to a small town with his mother and tries to settle in with the locals. Reverend Moore is very influential in the town and after an unfortunate accident five years earlier, the town was persuaded to enact strict laws which included no dancing! Ren makes friends with the Reverend’s daughter Ariel, who rebels against her strict parents, and their friendship grows as they share their struggles. Ren can see the pent up frustrations from all the young people in the town and is determined to get the council to change the laws on dancing.
It’s a fun, heart-warming story with the younger generation trying to change the minds of their elders and as an audience member you are rooting for them.
What’s brilliant about this theatre adaptation is the amount of music and singing, okay yes it’s pretty much a musical however the ‘orchestra’ is not in the pits, in fact there is no orchestra – it’s a rock band. This makes everything more dynamic and exciting.
The show kicks off with the cast running onto the stage, half are getting on the instruments and the other half are singing and dancing – it’s very impactful, it’s super fun. The whole cast plays multiple instruments throughout the show and even while they are acting in a scene, so it’s not an unusual sight to see a guitar in hand during the gym scene, or a saxophone in the crowd. I did actually lose count on how many instruments were played through the show, this format was fantastic.
The stage setting was smart to incorporate the instruments but also the many scenes which included a diner, locker room, sports hall, church, home, but also allowed actors to climb out of windows and crawl under the railway bridge. It was all very effective.
The cast were all amazing. It was a full cast, and several were playing different characters (and still playing an instrument) however this made the performance lush and vibrant, which the storyline required.
It was quite remarkable to see the multitalented individuals all come together in such a wonderful performance. The co-ordination to get everything so smooth must have been intense yet it was worth it. Each cast member brought their own individual talent and personality to the table – and even more, if that’s possible.
The singing was delightful, the emotion carried you through the story, and the energy and delight of the prom night was enthralling.
Be prepared to get up for some dancing too!
Photo Credit Fraser Band
Footloose is at the New Wolsey Theatre until 26th October – click here for more