Footloose

Welcome to NODA! This was a debut performance by Split Mask as a member of NODA and what an introduction.

Footloose the musical is a high-energy, 1980s-themed drama based on the 1984 film, following Ren McCormack, a city teen who moves to a small town where dancing and rock music are banned. Ren fights to overturn this strict ban to hold a school prom, uniting the youth to overcome the tragedy-haunted town's rigidity.

Split Mask is, on the whole, a youthful theatre group who perform with tremendous energy. From the first moment on stage, I was blown away by the vibrant enthusiasm from the cast. Every single member never switched off for a moment during the performance, every single member had developed their own character and stayed with it throughout. James Platt, as Ren McCormack, excelled with his change of attitude and emotion as the story went on, he is a very accomplished performer and destined for a bright future. Isabel Pritchard played Ariel Moore, Ren’s love interest. She had a commanding presence on stage and is a true leading lady with super vocals to match the title. Ian Pritchard, as Rev Shaw Moore, captured the troubled character with conviction, he left no one in doubt how much he was suffering following the death of his son. The softening of his heart, and his character, at the end of the show was well controlled and brought warmth to an otherwise harsh character. Shaw’s wife, Vi, was played by Ellen Minton. Her character showed care and empathy towards the characters her husband had alienated, and this certainly came across from Ellen’s performance. I’m sure that Ellen was not the only one crying during her rendition of Can you find it in your heart! Kynan Weaver brought a great deal of humour to the show as Willard Hewitt, his delivery and timing of his lines was spot on. Such a loveable character and I’m sure every member of the audience warmed to his portrayal of Willard. What can I say about Jenna Martin, what a powerful young lady. Her vocals are so strong and an obvious natural mover on stage. She lit up the stage with every appearance as Rusty and captured the intended traits of the character. Millie Smith and Kathryn Walker, as Wendy Jo and Urleen respectively, were the other sides of the girly triangle. When the three of them sang together, the harmonies blended beautifully and had a lovely balance between the parts. At the performance I saw, Katie Whinton played the part of Ethel McCormack, Ren’s mother. This was her debut with Split Mask but that was not obvious from her performance, she played the part with confidence and brought an air of calm to the character to counteract the fiery nature of her son. I’m sure that Charlotte Dawkins would have been equally convincing playing the role at the other performances. Another debutant with Split Mask was Sebastian Routledge who played Chuck Cranston. He definitely captured the chaos that Chuck brought to the show, and this was a strong performance.

The named characters were supported by an excellent ensemble; their dance numbers were outstanding. The choreography was energetic and appropriate for the musical numbers, this was a credit to the choreography team of Eleanor Cook-Deakin, Scarlett Vernon and Mia Williams. I must admit, I needed a rest when I got home and I had only been watching! There is no doubt that the vocals in this show are taxing, but you would not have known that from this performance from Split Mask. Di Pritchard as Musical Director had obviously worked the cast extremely hard to perfect the multiple combinations in each of the numbers. This, coupled with a very competent band adding accompaniment to the show, made for a musical treat. Finally, credit must go to the Artistic Director, Tom Truby. There was no stone left unturned with this production, every cast member knew their role and was in the zone from the moment they appeared on stage, every movement was positive and the cast were so well drilled.

Someone said to me that the set was very minimalistic, but who needs extravagant sets when there is so much talent on show!

As I said, this was my first visit to see Split Mask, but I cannot wait for the next one. Thank you for the very warm welcome we received and congratulations to everyone involved with Footloose.

© NODA CIO. All rights reserved.