Footloose – The Musical

This musical follows the path of young students as they strive to have a school dance, something we take for granted. It begins with a teenager, Ren McCormack, who loves to dance to relax and what happens when he and his mother have to move from Chicago to an ultra-conservative town named Bomont. After a tragic death of four teenagers some four years before, the town had banned dancing, along with many other joys of the young, under the direction of Reverend Shaw Moore, an ultra conservative.

What follows is the conflict that occurs when an out-going, confident young man who does not know the rules, nor intend to follow to follow them, comes to town. The changing relationships between students and friends and finally the drive for a school dance are told through music and dance by this uniformly talented young group. Well, actually one is not that young.

Tim O’Connor keeps the action flowing really well and choreographer Dan Venz created a real dance spectacular in every way. Mind you, the dialogue was far too quick initially which made understanding difficult. It improved markedly as the show progressed. Christian Robba Colley, in the crucial role of Ren, was great with all aspects of his role. Reverend Shaw Moore, the dictatorial conservative pastor, came to life with clear vocals – both spoken and sung – with this performance by Grant Couchman.  Well done. Tayler Ramay and Eleanor Grieve as the wife and daughter of the pastor are very convincing in those crucial roles.

Sometimes the music was a bit overpowering but this talented cast brought everything to life so well. What I admired greatly was how all characters were so well portrayed - there was not a weak link. A talented young group indeed.  A better balance between the singing and the actual music would improve the show even more.  However, it was a really good night out and I recommend it to all.

William Davies