Went to see this production at the West Yorkshire Playhouse on Saturday with my family. The kids love the remake and my husband and I loved the original (though we did watch it recently and could see how dated it was compared to the remake), so we were really looking forward to it.
The information on the show from the website reads: Leeds Amateur Operatic Society present 'Footloose' a fantastic fun-filled musical based on the 1984 film starring Kevin Bacon. With well-known songs 'Let's Hear It for the Boy', 'Footloose' and 'Holding Out for a Hero', it follows the story of Ren McCormack, the Chicago kid who moves to provincial Bomont with his mother when his father deserts them.
Bomont is ruled by Reverend Moore who feels that "rock and roll" is evil and bans dancing, after the death of his son in a car accident while returning from a dance. With Ren's reliance on dance as an outlet for his pain, he sets out to change the town's opinion with the support of the local kids, but the Reverend is determined to do anything to stop them. The musical follows Ren's personal journey, dealing with loss, with love, and with growing up along the way.
Come and "kick off your Sunday shoes" with LAOS, you simply won't be able to sit still.
Stage Adaptation by DEAN PITCHFORD and WALTER BOBBIE
Based on the Original Screenplay by Dean Pitchford
Music by TOM SNOW Lyrics by DEAN PITCHFORD
Additional Music by ERIC CARMEN, SAMMY HAGAR, KENNY LOGGINS and JIM STEINMAN
It was the final matinee performance (with only one more performance left to go to that evening) and I admit I hadn't realised it was not a professional production when I booked the tickets, but we enjoyed it all the same.
We personally thought that Lee West as Willard and Robyn McIntyre as Rusty stole the show (though I admit they are arguably the best parts to work with), but I was a little disappointed that the 'teaching Willard to dance scene' was done by adults in this performance. For me, it detracted a little by not having little girls teaching him (this for me goes a long way towards the 'even little girls can dance better than Willard' feeling and enhances the comedy element). Though Ben Lancaster as Ren and Rebecca Ferrin as Ariel, in their main parts were very good, I was disappointed Ren did not perform his solo 'working through his anger' dance and that Ariel did not play chicken with the train. I understand that this was probably due to it being a stage adaptation, but for me this is the most telling aspect for the desperation of her character to get out of small town Bomont.
The Reverend (John Hall) and his wife Vi (Sarah Buckley) were also very polished, but I did personally get the feeling that Reverend Shaw Moore had gone to the same singing school as Russell Crowe when he starred in Les Miserables, but Vi had a very pleasing tone.
It seemed that when Ren pushed his employer out of the Burger Barn on her roller skates, it was done a little too keenly as when she fell over, we got the feeling she wasn't supposed to have; if it was a comedy fall, it was an expertly executed one.
One of the funniest things for us was a scene set to 'I need a hero' where several men in uniform come dancing out and a lady a couple of rows in front of us must have been related to the 'soldier' as she was laughing uncontrollably at his hip swivelling.
All in all a very enjoyable afternoon. 7/10
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