Footloose

I do look forward to going to Shoeburyness High School because so many young people get involved with the productions and, the enthusiasm and joy of performing is infectious. As we approached the hall, we could hear the cast warming up and as we left, we could hear their exuberant celebrations at the end of their run. I enjoyed watching Footloose, not just for the performances of the immediate cast but for the music, performed by young people, and the technical, sound, lighting and stage crew all of young people making this a complete Youth Production. Well done to everyone.

Footloose tells the story of Ren McCormack (Malichi Campbell), who after his father abandons the family, moves with his Mother Ethel (Maddison Fuller), from Chicago to a small town called Bomont.

Bomont is a small backwater town controlled by Rev. Shaw Moore (Christopher Hadzi) who after the death of his son banned dancing in the town. Rev. Moore not only controls the town but tries to control his wife, Vi (Cheska Rickett) and his daughter Ariel (Beau Hurley). Ariel, is a wild child, rebelling against her father, she’s dating bad boy Chuck Cranston (Lewis Woodville) but is attracted to Ren after he steps in to defend her from the abusive Chuck.

Ariel has three best friends, Rusty (Ruby Slack), Urleen, (Becky Crump first half and Tanaka Nyaunwa second half) and Wendy Jo (Lillie Maliqi). Ren has an unlikely friend in the comical figure of Willard (Harvey Guiver) and together the friends set out to change the laws of Bomont to allow the young people to have fun and dance again.

The set had two levels, with staircases either side. You could see the orchestra under the gantry which was good. The cast used the entire theatre during the performance including the stairs in the banked audience section too, and when they were singing the big group numbers, the effect was thrilling.

Malichi Campbell played Ren with exuberance, he sang with gusto and was a likeable character. Beau Hurley’s Ariel was sassy and confident. I’d seen both Malichi and Beau in Sister Act and I could see a development in their performances so well done to both.

Ariel’s girlfriends were a fun group and the personalities certainly shone through; with Wendy Jo as the comic airhead, Urleen the sensible one and Rusty as the loud and fun one. The three led the dancing and helped explain the story through their dialogue which was clear. I particularly enjoyed Ruby’s performance as Rusty, she had a very good strong voice and an excellent stage presence. Becky Crump was obviously unwell in the first act but she performed well nether the less. Tanaka took over seamlessly and the friendship group worked because of the relationships portrayed with their acting.

Harvey Guiver’s Willard was a strong character that grew over the course of the show. He was a comic character but it was easy to sympathise with him as he learned to be a friend, to woo a girl and to how dance! Harvey really made me laugh and there was a good connection between him and Ren that added to the mix.

Ariel’s boyfriend at the beginning of the piece was Chuck Cranston played by Lewis Woodvine. He maintained his mean character throughout. He was a selfish dark character who led a group of cowboys played by a mix of actors that added comedy to their scenes.

I was particularly impressed by the performances of Cheska Rickett as Vi and Maddison Fuller as Ethel both actresses had good characterisation and beautiful singing voices. In addition to these core performances was that of Christoper Hadzi as Rev. Moore. Christopher played the stoic Shaw Moore with dignity and his voice was strong and had good tone.

There was some great choreography involving the entire cast and there were many highlights for me. The Line dancing scene at the beginning of Act 2 was great fun and the number ‘Let’s Hear it for the Boy’ showcased great music singing and choreography with some comedy too.

All the costumes and accents were good and reminiscent of middle America in the 80s. Scene changes were slick and the stage crew were very proficient.

Well done to everyone and thank you so much for an enjoyable evening; it is obvious that you all worked incredibly hard!

 

© NODA CIO. All rights reserved.