Footloose

Teenage rebellion is the focus of the story. Originally a 1984 film making a household name of Kevin Bacon, ‘Footloose’ was one of a clique of coming-of-age films of the 80’s such as ‘Flashdance’ and ‘Dirty Dancing’ where teenagers fought against the small-minded oppression of the adults that surrounded them through the power of dance.

Seb Farrell gave us sharp direction with vibrant bursts, homing in to expose interesting aspects and drawing out quirks of some of the characters which were well explored and ably implemented by his cast. The set involved a steel bridge upstage which was a key feature in the plot, however, sometimes deemed awkward as people would climb up onto it to merely come straight back off it again without any reason or purpose, seeming unnatural / using it just because it’s there. The bridge evidently became an essential feature and certainly enhanced the two scenes with Ren and Ariel, proffering my highlight of the show, ‘Almost Paradise’, the love duet between our two leading players which sparked, beautifully done.

Though very much a specimen of the 80’s with its jukebox score including ‘Let’s Hear It For The Boy’, ‘Holding Out For A Hero’ and the title floor filler anthem ‘Footloose’ - which all predominantly feature in the original film - the energy still appeals to today's teenagers as proven by this cast of epic proportion each of whom were committed, investing their all into their performances. The second act presents a more textured collection of music than the first, with different styles coming through, including country and western which was handled with knack, furthermore, original songs were introduced to the stage score to aid the narrative and give the show a sense of being a piece of musical theatre as opposed to a concert with scenes. All handled with aplomb by Musical Director Kimberly Holden and her 8 strong band. Some numbers appeared to be somewhat of a stretch for some of the vocalists but I appreciate that this show is no easy sing, the vocal highlight from the ensemble was the act one finale (Heaven Help Me / I’m Free) which kicked out a rich quality and the supporting lads (Chuck’s gang) also impressed with ‘The Girl Gets Around’ both vocally and physically.   

Natalie Bainbridge had the perfect balance of the charming reverend’s daughter verses the street wise sass as Ariel, singing agreeably in style to which she appeared entirely suited and bringing a bold stance to her act. Harry Warburton was the choice as Ren (aka. The Kevin Bacon part in the original film) offering a supreme opportunity to showcase his physical skills which he did with assurance and presented an equally mighty acting portrayal too, making sure we appreciate him for everything he’s capable of, not just his impressive moves. A fighting performance which is to be commended.

Willard, is without a doubt many people’s favourite character in this musical, certainly one of mine, was played here by Joe Atherton who certainly gave a firm and exciting presentation. His singing, characterisations and dancing were first-rate and demonstrated he can hold his own as a quadruple threat (the fourth being his comedy skills). The only area where I’d say Joe needs to focus on is his diction, the slur of the southern American accent got the better of him at times resulting in us missing certain phrases, particularly during his star turn ‘Mama Says’, packed with punchlines which didn’t always translate. Nonetheless, it’s evident that Joe has heaps of potential to become a terrific performer indeed, though attention to enunciation is an area to focus on.      

Adi Arora and Alice Kenny played Rev. Shaw and his wife Vi. Adi offered a mature perspective to his performance and gave the impression that he believed his character which was a pleasure to see evolve through the course of the show, in a role that’s so often portrayed as the kill-joy, I found that I felt for his story as equally as Ren’s, really nicely done. I also appreciated the choice to switch between speaking and singing during his numbers which gave authority and command to his interpretation, a smart and bold move which paid off. Alice presented a warm and likable charm with a quiet exasperation as the peacekeeper stuck in the middle, not easy to convey but done remarkably here. These two showed us that they’re very capable actors, the only area they didn’t quite project believability was in convincing us that they were a married couple. In the scenes with just the two of them, making sense of and accompanying each of their lines with a thought process to give purpose to what they’re saying and ignite their confrontations even more would have stepped it up to the next level and started to create real drama, eye contact with each other would’ve aided a connection too and enhanced some of the already amiable moments.

Choreography in this show plays an immense role making it a mighty field to tackle and it was faced head on by movement duo Sarah Binns and Sarah Bartlett. We got some exciting sequences which the company clearly enjoyed implementing, much to our delight. Tidying spacing and including more varied pattern formations is where attention could be afforded. I appreciate it’s difficult with such a large cast to create interesting shapes but perhaps more moments of reduced ensemble to take the lead of certain sequences, to break down full company numbers, may be worth investigating? Splitting the cast into smaller groups and giving each group their moment to shine as opposed to constant full company dancing in full company numbers all of the time. Furthermore, this would enable you to tailor the compositions to the variation of ability levels, pushing each of them which would encourage and enhance the ability of dance within MMY even further. The calibre of movement within MMY has rocketed recently and I have no doubt that it’s thanks to the two Sarah’s, and hat’s off to both of them, I hope they keep giving the degree that’s evidently being invested into the company with this virtuous discipline, it’s absolutely paying off and is brilliant, not to mention exciting, to see it evolve at the rate it is!

A note to the make-up team. Painting thick, harsh, brown lines on people’s faces does not make them look as though they’re older, it makes them look like someone has painted harsh brown lines on their faces. The Z-arts space is relatively intimate for a theatre auditorium, this needs to be accounted for when applying the make-up which, for some characters, was way overdone, making them look a bit daft.

As well as teenage angst, ‘Footloose’, is all about fun and the carefree nature of being a teen, which of course is never fully appreciated at the time, cornering not only the teenage market, but all those who remember the 80s with fondness too, a time when the parents of this cast were probably in nappies (…if that’s not enough to make me feel old I don’t know what is!)

For those of us old enough to remember the 80s -I can…just! - it’s a nostalgic reminder of the time filmmakers first discovered what pop music could do on the big screen. In adapting this film for stage they’ve padded the show with some routine songs, but although the pop hits within the score shine like diamonds in the rough, they work amongst a score of varied styles. It may not be a show to the old boy’s taste but it’s entertainment in the most exhilarating form. Keep knocking out the variety MMY! It’s as I’ve said before… you’re excitingly unpredictable, you make a staple and show us just exactly what you’re capable of whilst revving it up a gear each time! “…Been working - so hard”  

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