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Hannah Price (Ariel) and Luke Baker (Ren). Pictures: Matt Martin Footloose, the Musical
New Alexandra Theatre**** THE STORY of Footloose seemed implausible
when first tabled as a film idea back in 1980 but to successful
songwriter Den Pitchford the idea had merit. When the film was finally made four years later
it grossed 80 million dollars and a trail of awards and in 1998 the
stage musical was created and introduced the story of No Public Dancing
in the Bible belt to a new audience. It would seem a simple formula to load a stage
production with a well-known lead and a wealth of talent, send it out
and hope for the best. However, harnessing
that energy into a quality performance takes skill, quality direction
and a technical staff that makes sure that talent is heard and seen.
That just about sums up this fantastic stage version of
Footloose. Let’s start with the music. It’s a musical with a
blend of well-known pop tunes and well written musical theatre numbers
with great singing, delicate harmonies and driving hard dance tunes. Sound designer Chris
Whybrow excels in technically delivering the perfect balance of music
and voice through every number and dramatic sequence. His experience
with major bands such as Coldplay
and The Kaiser Chiefs
shines through and from the first opening of thundering drums of the
Footloose
theme you could tell sonically it was going to
be good. Next the cast. Talent exudes from every member as
they all excelled at their characters while performing every part of the
music and often dancing at the same or delivering lines of drama whilst
playing. Most were multi-instrumentalist and the rota of who was
playing what and when seemed mind bogglin Then the direction by Racky Plews. One can
imagine that this musical, staged first 18 years ago, comes with a full
book of existing directions and past notes, but bringing this team to up
to speed with such fluency would have still been a challenge. Everything
flows and dramatically the segues between the songs were heartfelt and
made real. Luke Baker was Ren McCormack, the city boy who
overturns the small town policy of no dancing and was superb in the
leading role. Aerial Moore played by Hannah price did well to match him
in both her drama and singing. The talented trio of Johanna Sawyer as
Rusty, Natasha Brown as Wendy Jo and Natalie Morton-Graham as Eleanor
played a variety of instruments, acted, or delivered some great
individual singing and harmonies throughout the show.
Due to ill health Gareth Gates was a no show but
his shoes were admirably filled by Luke Thornton in the role of Willard,
also doubling up on lead guitar. Scott Haining was Bickle and again sang
and danced, playing mainly bass, but cello as well. The solid adult maturity came in the form of
Nigel Lister as Rev Moore and Maureen Nolan as his wife Vi. Both added
some real drama and pathos to the rock and roll backdrop. Finally,
musical director and drummer David Keech who was encased behind a drum
booth high above the stage, deserves a mention as he coolly directed the
musical numbers via a video link to the performers. In all, you don’t need
to be a fan or know the back story of Footloose. The show contains some
very well-known songs like Let’s hear
It for the Boy and
I need a Hero
and the drama is well played and never secondary to the music. It’s
quality entertainment and the only area where anything loose can be
found is in the title as the performance is as tight as it can be. To
09-07-16 Jeff Grant 04-07-16
And dancing in the aisles . . .**** FANS of Gareth Gates were naturally
disappointed to discover the star was missing from this lively musical
and some requested refunds on opening night, but if they went home they
missed a treat. The Pop Idol winner had been advised by his
doctor to take a week off from performances to recover from a vocal
injury, but actor/musician Luke Thornton stepped up to give a fine
performance as Willard, the young man who, in the company of girls,
can’t do ‘it’. We eventually learn what ‘it’ is. His was not the main role in the story, but
Thornton had plenty of opportunities to shine and excels in the second
act with one of the big numbers, Mama Says. The musical is set in small town Bomont, West
Virginia, where dancing is banned following a fatal crash in which four
youngsters, including the son of strict local preacher, the Rev Shaw
Moore (Nigel Lister), were killed on the way home from a social, so
dancing is banned. In view of that, it was surprising to see many of
the young cast actually playing various musical instruments on stage
during the action, but the decision by director Racky Plews is a winner
and adds to the overall impact. Luke Baker impresses as Ren McCormack who arrives
in the town with his mum from Chicago and sets about campaigning to
bring back dancing . . . while falling for the preacher’s pretty
daughter Ariel. Hannah Price sparkles as Ariel, singing well and
even managing stints on the keyboard, trumpet and clarinet, while
Maureen Nolan brings her excellent voice to the role of the preacher’s
wife, Vi. There are many other strong performances
throughout a young, energetic cast, belting out Holding Out for a
Hero, Let’s Hear it for the Boy and, of course, Footloose. To 09-07-16 Paul Marston 04-07-16
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and yet was flawless.