In the summer of 1984, a little movie with a big soundtrack took the world by storm and launched a young up-and-coming leading man for whom at the time you’d be pressed to find movie connections of two degrees into the stratosphere as the ubiquitous megastar Kevin Bacon. Filling out the cast with veteran actors John Lithgow and Dianne Wiest along with breakout performances from young actors like Lori Singer, Christopher Penn, and Sarah Jessica Parker, Kenny Ortega’s Footloose defined a decade in both music and fashion. A generation of young men (this critic at the forefront of the movement) flipped up their collars, rolled up their sleeves, spiked their hair, and danced á la young Bacon while the Billboard chart-topping soundtrack went solid platinum filled with the biggest hits for superstars of the day like Kenny Loggins, Bonnie Tyler, Sammy Hagar, Annie Wilson, Mike Reno, and Deniece Williams.
In 1998, a musical version hit Broadway with the movie score intact, plus new songs by film composers Dean Pitchford (lyrics) and Tom Snow (music) and a book by Pitchford and director Walter Bobbie that failed to capture the dynamics of their solid gold source. The musical has since become mostly a staple of high school and community groups today, and, full disclosure, Phoenix Festival Theatre previously performed this version in 2003 in a production featuring this critic in Lithgow’s role as the Rev. Shaw Moore. Over the last decade, Pitchford and Bobbie reworked their script, most notably for a phenomenal Kennedy Center concert engagement, and cut a majority of the music written for mostly the adult characters, strengthened the mother’s duet, and added a severely-needed second act opening number, streamlining the show by condensing it more around the original material. It is this concise and structurally superior version that Phoenix Festival Theatre presents this run.
Everyone knows the plot. City boy moves to small town where dancing is banned. City boy wants to dance and butts heads with the locals, most notably the local preacher whose daughter he is interested in. Audience familiarity with the iconic score and characters can work both ways, but the cast all land solidly on the side of success in this production. Stanley Evans as Ren McCormick has all the rakish charm of a young Kevin Bacon. He commands center stage and carries the bulk of the show on his taut shoulders, excelling with musical moments from his “I Want” song, “I Can’t Stand Still”, to recreating 80’s classics like Kenny Loggins’ “I’m Free” to the highlight of the show, his duet with love interest Sophia Williams on quintessential power ballad and theme of a thousand 80’s proms, Mike Reno and Annie Wilson’s “Almost Paradise”. While neither is the vocal powerhouse of their predecessors (who is?), Both Evans & Williams bring subtle and beautiful levels to the duet that brings them together.
Williams is pure fireworks as Ariel Moore, fluidly transitioning from the fresh-faced preacher’s daughter at church to the rebellious, red-booted daughter-of-a-preacher-man after hours. She gets the action off to a lively start with a rousing duet with small town bad boy Chuck Cranston (Mikey Floyd) in a sexy and playful rendition of Sammy Hagar’s “The Girl Gets Around”. But she commands center stage with a fiery performance of Bonnie Tyler’s “I Need a Hero” and matches Evans level for level on the aforementioned “Almost Paradise”.
A competent ensemble of talent add a surplus of infectious youthful energy with big vocals and slick dance moves in all of choreographer Sheila Kahle’s solid gold dance numbers. Floyd along with Alston Mumpower and Jonah Wade as his boys are a trio of half intimidation/half dumbass, a salute to all those who peak in high school. Mia Coulbourne, Lindsay Serio, and Hope Fischer as Ariel’s BFFs Rusty, Urleen, and Wendy Jo, provide solid backup vocals on “Hero” and take center in an eerie take on Karla Bonoff’s “Somebody’s Eyes”. Coulbourne is a standout as Rusty, perfectly blending the spunk of young Sarah Jessica Parker with the infectious dance floor vocals of Deneice Williams on the rousing 2nd act production number “Let’s Hear It for the Boy”.
But in a solid corps of hardworking, energetic young performers who carry the top 40 energy of the show, Jordan Baumiller shines as choreographically-challenged, tongue-tied, quick-fisted, dim-bulb, scene stealing good ol’ boy Willard Hewitt. Baumiller is perfect goofball country-boy charm throughout. Simultaneously sweet, clueless, hot-headed, and loyal, he is a particular delight to watch transform from left-footed doofus duckling to light-footed king-of-the-dance-floor swan during “Let’s Hear It for the Boy”. And it’s Willard that Snow and Pitchford graced with “Mama Says”, an 11:00 comic peak of the show.
Like the movie, Director Rodd Robertson wisely stocks the adult characters with local veterans. Andrew Worthington (who doubles as music director, refining a great top 40 sound from his vocally able cast) is conflicted antagonist Rev. Shaw Moore. While lacking a little of the fire-and-brimstone persuasion that Moore should have as a charismatic leader of such strong convictions, his conversion to place the happiness and well-being of the community over his own pain is the most touching moment of the show.
In the seemingly secondary roles of the mothers, LaShelle Bray as Ren’s mom Ethel McCormick and Cathy Koncurrat as preacher’s wife Vi Moore provide strong emotional and spiritual support. Their former duet, “Learning to Be Silent”, a whiney throwaway in the original version, becomes an emotional moment with the wise addition of Ariel, which brings a deeper vocal richness to the piece and makes it a trio feminist anthem of women who are stifled by the men in their lives: a husband, a father, and a brother-in-law/landlord. Bray, hidden under a “bad mom haircut” wig, still shines as she stands by her son no matter how the town looks down on both of them, and Koncurrat is lovely in her featured moment, the heartfelt “Can You Find It In Your Heart?”, a plea to her husband to recapture the feelings they’ve lost.
Set Designer Allen Brenner utilizes a wise plot of select mobile pieces and platforms aided by a series of effective projections to set the mood for all the iconic settings of the movie, from high school to church to country western palace to Ariel’s train track hideaway, which is ideal for the movie-like cuts from scene to scene. Costume Designer Marta Noe outfits her cast in appropriate 80’s small town chic like the movie, with hard core Texas for the line-dancing segment and small town glam for the finale. Lighting Designer Bob McCleary sets the dreary Midwestern tone with pools of adequate warm light for the bulk of the show. It would have been fun to have a little more flash during the line dancing 2nd act opener in the out-of-town country western bar or the high school title song dance finale, but his choices are still true to his material. And Sound Designer Alex Paul gives clear, clean sound throughout, although the balance between vocals and music is a little shy on the music volume for the energy required in a pop/rock musical.
Director Robertson and Choreographer Kahle know how to strike the right balance between creative touches and paying homage to an institution. Robertson keeps the screenplay-like scenes flowing seamlessly, especially in this revised version’s tighter, abbreviated second act, and Kahle has created exuberant dance numbers reminiscent of the Anita Mann/Solid Gold era. She gets strong work from her dancing corps, especially standouts like the lithe and buoyant Katelyn O’Connor and statuesque Samantha Jednorski (who doubles as a busy-body gym teacher’s wife). But they highlight their work with just the right amount of salutes to the original—Kevin Bacon’s burgundy velvet prom tux, Lori Singer’s red cowboy boots, some of 80’s master Kenny Ortega’s more memorable footwork woven into the iconic numbers—that both the modern audience and the hard core 80’s purists can find something to appreciate. In the end, they wisely turn the piece over to the proven star, the immortal 80’s soundtrack, and let the nostalgia work its magic.
So dance while you can in Bomont. Hurry and get your tickets to relive the ultimate soundtrack of the last great age of top 40 music. #EverybodyCutFootloose
Running Time: Approximately 2 hours and 15 minutes with one intermission
Footloose plays through March 13, 2022 with Phoenix Festival Theater at Harford Community College’s Chesapeake Theater— 401 Thomas Run Road in Bel Air, MD. For tickets please call the box office at (443) 412-2211 or purchase them in advance online.
