@ Festival Theatre, Edinburgh, until Sat 20 Feb; and
@ King’s Theatre, Glasgow, from Mon 13 to Sat 18 Jun; and
@ His Majesty’s Theatre, Aberdeen, from Mon 20 to Sat 25 Jun
1984 … the year Prince Harry was born, the year Steve Jobs launched the Mac OS, the year of the futuristic dystopian novel by George Orwell and the year Kevin Bacon became a household name (in the days before EE mobile phone adverts!) 1984 was the year Footloose was brought to the screen and has since become a firm household favourite musical movie. Now, following its major success, the all-singing all-dancing hit is on tour and brings back the retro neon t-shirts, walkmans, scrunchies and the smell of hairspray on those permed locks.
The musical follows new kid Ren McCormack (Luke Baker) who moves from the bustling city of Chicago to the small unknown town of Bomont. We see Ren take on the town which has banned dancing as he attempts to break the rules and rebel against his elders. Along the way he meets Ariel (Hannah Price), the Reverend’s (Nigel Lister) sweet daughter who has a habit for following the bad boys but is still “Holding out for a Hero“.
Racky Plews directs the musical, which is packed full with toe-tapping hits such as Let’s Hear It For The Boys, and, of course, the anthem that is Footloose. The songs are impressively brought to life by the performers, playing live with an array of musical instruments, really adding an extra punch to the score. Baker, Price and Joanna Sawyer (Rusty) lead the cast with their strong vocals, despite a few blips from Lister.
This should be a show which focuses on dance; the choreography should be at the forefront of the performances. However, the dancers and style of choreography are missing a slicker edge that would make the moves stand out and impress. It lacks energy and technical precision.
The flow of the story is often interrupted by out-of-place and cringey innuendos, and jokes that perhaps should have been left in the 80s. Jokes aside, the highlight of the performance comes from former Pop Idol star Gareth Gates who plays Ren’s hillbilly bud, Willard. Gates is already becoming the musical theatre veteran with credits including Les Miserables and Joseph and his Technicoloured Dreamcoat. He has fantastic stage presence and provides a much needed energy for the show, with great comedic timing throughout. He wins the audience and makes them feel as if he is their best bud too.
The show ends with a climatic finale which is electrifying – perhaps a drop of this energy could have been used at the beginning to really capture the essence of the movie and that all important year – 1984.