Footloose

The first thing to say about St Ives Youth Theatre is that they are a very large and well organised tour de force in the area and have the resources to do things on a grand scale. This was amply demonstrated with Footloose, having a cast of nearly forty and production crew of over ten all headed up by Director Jasmin Turner. To add to that the venue, The Burgess Hall, in St Ives has a very large stage to which they added a very large acting area in front of it, with the first four rows of the auditorium also being used so that the seating started at row E. And they certainly made good use of it.

For those who haven’t seen it or need a reminder, Footloose is about dance and music fan, teenager Ren McCormack who after being abandoned by his father moves with his mother from Chicago to the small town of Bomont only to discover after a tragic accident, where four teenagers had died, the town council under the influence of the Reverend Shaw, whose son was one of the fatalities, had passed a law outlawing dancing and rock music. With the help of his new school friend Willard, Ren sets out to reverse this decision whilst falling for Ariel, the reverend’s daughter, thus leading to more confrontation with the reverend after he forbids her to see Ren.

The set constructed by Andy Davis and Brett and Will Golding (materials donated by Graham Davis), consisted of the main stage, which was mainly to blacks with a scaffold unit built in the rear of the main stage, which was used for various scenes such as: the choir stalls, the  bridge and the stage for Cowboy Bob’s band. On the floor were two reversible trucks stored to either side of the stage. One of which was a clever reversible depiction of The Reverend Shaw’s house. On one side was the front of the house with a front door and window and picket fence style balustrade with a gate. On the other side was the inside of the same house complete with a sofa neatly attached to the side of the truck. The other truck was also reversible and was used for multiple scenes including the Burger Blast Café. Very neat and incredibly well handled by the stage crew under the management of Chloe Rogers.

Lighting was designed by Will Golding and in the main worked really well, although there were a couple of scenes where the actors were unlit, but as this was the first night, I’ve no doubt they were momentary glitches. Sound by Matt Stratford and Ash Vohra was really well done, pretty much crystal clear and not a mic problem throughout the show.  The technology of them is definitely improving year on year.

Costumes by Liz Davis, Sarah Johnson, Sarah-Jane Collinge and Jen and Claire from the clothing recycle group Mend & Save were a great concoction of typical American teenage outfits and hats, and quite a lot of glitter. There was also an amusing moment where Willard’s shirt was supposed to be pulled off him in two halves which didn’t quite come off resulting in a comedy moment enjoyed by both the audience and the actors.

The band (unseen, so I have no idea what instruments they were playing) consisting of Robert Brice, William Davies, Stephen Denman, Robert Hargreaves, James Kendal, Alex Lambert, Viv Scott, Sophie Wallis and Sean Walton did a great job and were technically spot on as far as I could tell.  

We had two Musical Directors in Sophie Wallis and Stephen Denman, which with this many in the cast and eighteen numbers to learn was probably a very wise move. Between them they did a first-class job.

Choreography with this large cast needed three Choreographers, Daisy Welford, Orla Hilton and the director Jasmin Turner. Some of the numbers were absolutely superb and spot on, others were perhaps a little loose with some members not quite in time. If I may offer the advice of a professional choreographer friend, slicking your chest out and smiling will cover a multitude of sins.

The acting in this was quality indeed and the American accents were pitched pretty perfectly to my unqualified ears. The two Stewart Brothers were both outstanding. Fin in the lead role of Ren, carried the show really well with a super voice, demonstrated straight away with ‘I can’t stand Still’ and ‘Dancing is Not a Crime’ in Act 2. Well done and very brave on the roller skates with only one or two amusing wobbles. His brother Charlie as Willard, was just as sublime. His natural talent, acting skills and delivery of lines are a comedic delight to watch. I’ve now seen him three times and he just gets better with each production. Definitely one to watch. Becca Bateman as Ren’s girlfriend Ariel characterised the show in her character’s rebellious streak with her confrontational attitude especially to Shaw. Great duet with Ren in ‘Almost Paradise.’ SIYT are going to miss James Rowbottom who showed what a competent actor he has become as demonstrated here in his well-judged performance as The Rev Shaw. Not to forget a very powerful voice as shown in ‘Heaven Help Me.’ Good luck James in wherever you are moving on to. It’s not easy to play a mature adult when you are still maturing into one yourself, so well done especially to Orla Hilton and Ilia Palmer-Masterton who play Vi Moore and Ethel McCormack, the mums to Ariel and Ren and also to Alfie Collinge as Ren’s Uncle Wes. Ben Chapman playing Cowboy Bob states in programme that he is proud of his ‘Still Rockin,’ which opens Act Two. I think I can categorically say, so are we, it certainly got us all going again after the break!

Well done also to Bella Cox (Rusty), Tegan Cspecez-Strong (Wendy Jo), Afiya James (Urleen), Grace Crago (Lulu), Molly Hall (Coach Dunbar), Summer Appleton ((Principal Clark), Rhu Maltby-Brown (Chuck – excellent fight!), Matthew Giles (Garvin), Florence Golding (Jeter), Maisy Barnes (Bickle), Josh Wain (Travis), Ruby Lynch (Lyle). Grace Warner (Betty Blast) and Natalie Freeman (Eleanor)

Also to Cowboy Bob’s band: Justin Ramsbottom,  Nefeli Tspoela and Mali James and the ensemble of Sebastian Allen, Harry Archontides, Sam Chapman, Ryan Day, Max Gilham, Juliana Harrisskitt, Harry Lee, Carys Prosser, Polly Richardson, Larri Rose, Isla Simmonds, Jazleen Singh and Tillie Dodsley-Cook.

A thoroughly enjoyable show by a bunch of kids who were absolutely loving it. What more could you ask!

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