Footloose - The Musical

This hip-hop '80s rock an' roll musical was a great choice for HADOS Centre Stage Youth Group and they wowed the capacity audience with their energy and exuberance from start to finish.

The use of minimal staging and back-drop images devised by Sue Webber and her team worked well, ensuring a constant pace throughout the performance and smooth transition between the scenes.  The various props provided by Sarah Lewis and Cecelia Snell were managed by the young actors themselves, at the beginning and end of each scene.  The lighting techies were spot on with their cues, but I have to say that the sound guys had not quite got the balance right, which meant that both chorus and solo musical numbers were difficult to hear clearly, particularly in the first Act, and in some instances the volume of the musical under-scoring drowned out the dialogue - such a pity.

Amongst the young cast there were some terrific performances and their individual talents shone through.  Of particular note, Maximillian Murphy in the starring role of Ren McCormack, gave his all and portrayed admirably the dance-crazy teenager, suddenly finding himself in a totally different environment from that of his native city Chicago and trying to cope with Bomont's small town mentality and its prohibition of dance enforced by its powerful and god-fearing preacher, Rev. Shaw Moore.  Jacob Simmons gave us a truly inspired performance in the role of the preacher, with a mature singing voice beyond his years, his angst and grief over the loss of his son Bobby and concern for Ariel, his wayward daughter, very palpable.  Billie Allen gave us a powerful performance as the feisty, rebellious Ariel - her number "Holding Out for a Hero" with her friends Rusty, Wendy-Jo and Urleen, delightfully played here by Charlotte Kowalski, Becky Stolworthy and Tori Harvey, was a real show-stopper, with great choreography, thanks to Jane Baillie.

Cian Harris threw himself whole-heartedly into the role of Willard Hewitt, Ren's unlikely but trusty new friend and ally against Ariel's bullying boyfriend Chuck Cranston, well-portrayed by Henry Etherington.  There was plenty of good acting and singing amongst the other principals and a delightful cameo from Daisy Robson-Baillie, in her all too brief appearance as Betty Blast! Difficult harmonies in some of the musical numbers were all achieved well by the cast, proof of Karen Chinery's expertise as Musical Director, but, sadly, slightly marred by the problems with the sound balance.

However, with colourful costumes and a chorus full of vitality, who were enjoying themselves immensely, Centre Stage Company Youth Group can be justly proud of their performance, echoed by the enthusiastic applause from the audience.  Thank you everyone for a very lively evening's entertainment. 

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