Footloose

Reviewed by Holly Bartges

Everything required of Footloose — loud rock music with softer variations, a celebration of life, celebration with dancing, memorable songs, thunderous clash of emotions, narrow-minded points of view, a universal theme that never seems to be learned: when parents forbid and say no, teenagers say yes, finding a way to break the rules. Deep hurts that dig into the heart, burrowing all of the way to the soul. A large cast, talented dancers engulfed in never-ending energy. Dancers who sing and act, with exciting expertise, all commence on the small stage at Littleton’s Town Hall Arts Center.

Melissa Benoist as Ariel Moore and Patric Case as Ren McCormick in Town Hall Arts Center’s production of Footloose. Photo by Kristy Rowe

For Footloose to live up to its electric reputation, all the stops need to be pulled at the same time. Director/choreographer Nick Sugar doesn’t know how to do anything but pull out the stops — choreographing the dances, action, lights, set, characterizations, and chemistry — tying everything together in a neat cohesive exciting package. The small stage appeared to grow to accommodate the 25 explosive talented actor/singer/dancers bringing Footloose to life.

Footloose excited moviegoers with its release in 1984. A relatively simple, but profound story revolving around Ren McCormick, a big city kid from Chicago who moves with his mother to a small out of the way hick town. The Reverend Shaw Moore holds the town by its moral throat not allowing dancing or rock music within its city limits. Ren’s entire being screams for change.

Truth lies behind the myth. The movie was loosely based on events that took place in the small rural farming community of Elmore City, Oklahoma which is probably why the story, the music, the relevance speaks so strongly even today.

Footloose the Musical opened on Broadway at the Richard Roger’s Theatre October 5, 1998 running until July 2, 2000.

Melissa Benoist plays the preacher’s daughter, Ariel, with her heart and soul, owning every breath and thought belonging to Ariel. Rebelling against her emotionally shut-down father, who is more uptight than an E-string on a violin.

Mark Middlebrooks not only tears out your heart making you want to shake his shoulders from here to Kingdom Come as Reverend Shaw Moore whose bitterness over the accidental death of his son four years ago, shuts him down from any emotional contact with his daughter Ariel and his wife Vi beautifully played by Callie McKinney Cabe. Covering pain with moral indignity, he thrusts his paining anguish onto the entire town forbidding dancing and rock music within the city limits. Middlebrooks gives Moore an incredible believable range of emotion.

In contrast, where it would be easy to play Vi in the background, Cabe reveals Vi’s hurt and loneliness at the same time standing by her husband with a depth of understanding shown in her body language and facial expressions. She knows when to leave him alone, when to sympathize, when to step in and stand up to him.

Patric Case becomes Ren, a high school student uprooted from Chicago where teenage life happens to the small out of the way Bomont caged in the high moral restrictions. Because he’s an outsider, and always seems to be at the wrong place at the wrong time, Ren becomes an easy target for things gone wrong. Principal Harry Clark (Stephen Nye) and Coach Roger Dunbar (Roy Reents) find it all too easy to label Ren as a troublemaker, a tag Moore gloms onto with self-righteous delight. Patric Case grabs Ren by the throat turning him inside out allowing Ren to take over. A troublemaker he has been labeled, but the senior class wants a dance, and this bright, intelligent teenager wants to do something. He’s just a kid. What can he do against an entire town that can’t see beyond the nose on its face? That’s the struggle of Footloose. The result is not musical theatre gibberish. It is honest dig deep intelligent risk taking. Ren’s argument to the city council turns the tables on Moore, but with a lesson learned. Moore had already secured the vote.

Not ready to give up, Ren gathers strength and courage to confront Moore directly resulting in his being thrown out of the house. The teenager’s words cut deeply. Moore’s plaintiff songs: “I Confess” and “Can You Find It In Your Heart?” grab the breath with touching reality watching the transformation of a wooden puppet become a caring human being who has the gumption to admit he’s wrong.

The one person seeing Ren for whom he really is Ethel McCormick, Ren’s mother. Mary McGroary encases herself into Ethel’s demeanor with class, beauty, confidence, and a grounded belief. She has moved to Bomont to be near her sister, Lulu Warnicker (Paula Whitaker) and her brother-in-law Wes (Eric Fry), both entrenched in the town atmosphere. In quiet self-confidence Ethel isn’t afraid to stand up for her son. She knows him, understands him, encourages him without resorting to radical tactics. McGroary shines with star quality.

From the first note of the music of “Footloose,” a music thrill races through the body. It is little wonder that song — along with “Let’s Hear It For The Boy” — is heard on the radio frequently.

The music embodies exciting pizzazz all on its own, but with Donna Kolpan Debreceni as Music Director and arranger for the electronic orchestrations, the magic of the music and songs move up several notches.

Rose Ouellette takes Rusty for an exciting ride of teenage innocence, optimism and electric energy. There’s a lot to learn from Rusty. She sees elements within Willard Hewitt (Philip Martin), a bumbling backwards out of sync sort of guy, that no one else sees. As a result he grows into what she sees. There are a good many Willard’s out there who don’t quite fit the norm, and aren’t even aware they don’t until it comes down to a country dance in another town. After avoiding Rusty he admits to Ren he doesn’t know how to dance. Martin nails Willard to the wall with his cowboy hat personal attempt at being the tough guy, in perfect comedic timing. The confession at the dance when Ren thinks he is talking about something else entirely different keeps hilarity in tact. With two left feet he tries to learn to dance and about the time one thinks it will never happen, Martin cuts loose exhibiting the dancer he really is. The simplicity with which Willard constantly refers to “Mama Says” maintains its down to earth philosophy that works not only for him, but everyone else as well.

Tina Anderson’s impressionistic set design pointing with illusion toward a concept of a living room, the church yard, behind a gas station, high school football field, a church, high school hallway, and especially the bridge works extremely well in conjunction with the lighting pointing toward a rock concert atmosphere designed by Jennifer Otto-Zedalis. With scenes changing frequently, there never is any question where the action takes place.

Lamecia Landrum and Lisa Murray designed the costumes for the 1980s time-line, weaving the Footloose magic inside each costume.

Heartwarming, tender, rebellious, honest, deliberate Footloose is a musical for all generations. Skillions of years from now when we’re living in some other realm, this musical will be as appropriate then as it is today. Blood flow keeps time to the music, toes can’t sit still, the conflict and resolution speak to an honest truth, and I defy anyone to point to a better production than what Town Hall has going for it. Slackers are easy to spot in a large cast, but not this one. They all wear their characters in truth, honesty and ownership.

Don’t wait. Call now for reservations.