Footoose

Harvest Rain’s second and third year interns created a storm of irresistible dancing heat when they burned-the-floor at Powerhouse with Footloose. Dan Venz’s moves and the charismatic performance of Ethan Jones as Ren were the big plusses of Tim O’Connor’s zippy production. Film-to-stage adaptations are notorious for never being as good as the original and this by-the-numbers script is no exception. The thing that keeps it buoyant is its retro 80s pop score.

As Ren, the big-city boy who defies a small-town ordinance that outlaws dancing, Ethan Jones was a singing and dancing powerhouse, and a nice little actor to boot. Whether leading the company on the title tune or pouring his heart out in “Almost Paradise” with Genevieve Tree he won the audience with his empathy and talent. With a big chest voice, Tree was also strong as Ariel and vocally delivered on “Holding out for a Hero”.

Beefy Courtney Underhill as Rusty also nailed one of the show’s biggest hits “Let’s Hear It for the Boy” and displayed well-timed comic-chops working with Tom Holmes-Brown who played her slow-witted cowboy partner Willard. Holmes-Brown also scored with “Mama Says”, a second act eleven-o’clock-number with the boys that brought the house down.

As the hellfire preacher Reverend Shaw Moore who originally introduced the dancing ban, Chris Kellett brought a convincing adult perspective to this clichéd coming-of-age tale and sang a fine “Heaven Help Me”. Dan Venz’s choreography was MTV 80s with a particularly appealing country line-dance second-act opener.

The set, with its corrugated iron and hurricane lamps looked more like an Australian country town than American, and the costumes were only occasional nods to the period. Did they really wear skinny jeans in the 80s? Who cares, they made for sleek lines in the multiple unison dances. Top marks to O’Connor and his team of interns who made Footloose appear to be a better show than it really was. It was a perfect choice to showcase this group of young emerging talent.

Peter Pinne