Footloose

Dancing shows usually present many challenges for amateur companies however Shotts again rose to the challenge to maintain the usual high standard.  Footloose tells the story of an upbeat Chicago teenager Ren McCormack who moves to a small town ruled by a powerful local minister who has banned the local teenagers from dancing following a car accident which claimed the lives of four young adults returning from a dance some five years previously.  This production provided an excellent line up of well cast principals.  Andrew McKenna gave a great performance as Ren who displayed great dancing ability in particular in ‘I Can’t Stand Still’.  Joe Totten was a fine Reverend Shaw Moore and the voices and harmonies provided by Marie Doyle and Stephanie O’Raw as Ethel McCormack and Ariel Moore blended beautifully in the number ‘Learning To Be Silent’.  Brian Shallow carried off bad-boy Chuck Cranston with great ease and Matthew Coulter‘s characterisation of Willard Hewitt provided some amusement with some similarities to ‘Forrest Gump’!  Great performances were also provided by Angela Ball and Rachael Totten as Vi Moore and Rusty.  I had forgotten just how many well known musical numbers there were in the show which the cast delivered with great energy.  Choreography was sharp and the men had clearly been well drilled.  ‘Holding Out For A Hero’ and the title number ‘Footloose’ were well staged with a dynamic mega mix finish.  A great show which the entire company should be pleased with.

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