Tight as tuppence and twice as shiny, this new production of Footloose sets off on its national tour with enough energy to see it safely into the West End.
This is a production that uses its stars well, but which stands or falls on the quality of its company. And to afford them every credit where it is due, the ten-strong chorus take Karen Bruce’s emphatic choreography and perform it with zing and passion.
Derek Hough is nicely believable as Ren McCormack, the city-boy forced into backwoods Beaumont when his dad leaves home. If the story, of learning to let go and a town where there can be no dancing, is slight, the telling of it is well done. Moments like Ren’s first meeting with Giovani Spano’s tightly-observed Willard at his first day in a new school are exceedingly well constructed.
Ren’s growing friendship with Ariel Moore is rather more obviously stated as Lorna Want plays the latter with good voice but few surprises. Nor is there much to write home about in Stephen McGann, who doesn’t have the power to command the higher notes as Ariel’s embittered father, Reverend. Cheryl Baker finds much more, both in her acting and her singing, as his long-suffering wife, Vi.
Karen Bruce has obviously spent more time on Ariel’s best pals, played by Stevie Tate-Bauer, Natasha McDonald and Lisa Gorgin. It is, after-all, through the kids that the big set-piece numbers come. Stephen Owens directs the band well, but is too-often undone by a muddy sound design.
Production information can change over the run of the show.
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