Footloose

Footloose, based on the 1980’s film, tells the story of Ren and his family moving from Chicago to small town Belmont, where rock music and dancing is illegal. Ren has eyes for Ariel, whose father, the local minister is the instigator of the aforementioned ban. Thanks to Ren and his friends, this ban is eventually overturned.

Ren (Ewan James) is excellent in the role, giving a confident performance, while the chemistry between him and Ariel (Jessica Begley) was evident throughout. Ariel’s father, bible-thumping minister Shaw Moore (Grant Haddow) has to move though a huge range of emotions in the course of the musical, and Grant makes these changes completely believable. Vi, Rev Moore’s wife, added to the quality of singing in this show with her delightful voice. Willard Hewitt (Niall Jowitt) had obvious fun particularly in the second act “Mama Says”, with the rest of the guys. The moody Chuck Cranston (Lauchlan Graham) was well played and the many minor characters were well cast too. Mention must be made of Cowboy Bob (Joel Allsopp), who, despite his diminutive size, held the stage whenever he appeared.

Technically, sound was well operated, and lighting worked for the show.  Sets, although minimal, allowed the action to flow well.

Many thanks for the invite to your 2020 show!

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