As a cultural icon and nostalgia piece, Footloose is untouchable - a young Kevin Bacon and at least three eighties songs that will never leave our heads have seen to that. As a film and even as a stage show, there's nowhere near as much to it, with a glossy veneer of sets and tunes spread over what is, at its core, the story of a guy and a girl who get a group of stuffy grown-ups to loosen up and dance.
There's an emotional centre of a boy who lost a father and a father who lost a son, but it's never really felt. What one does feel throughout the production, repeatedly, is the theme of dancing outlawed in a town and the need to both break and break free from it. That seems a strange concept to buy until one considers that Footloose is loosely based on a true story. Truth can indeed be stranger than fiction. But is that enough to build an entertaining musical around?
It's time to find out when our hero, Ren McCormack, well played by Luke Baker, leaves his native Chicago to descend on Bomont, West Virginia, a town full of Grease-rs and Rebels Without A Cause about to be woken up to the liberty in city life. In a manner befitting of the musical talent waiting to be unleashed in the story, director Racky Plews has gone for the novel approach of having the cast members play musical instruments and sing on stage. It's a neat concept but I'm not entirely sure it comes off, with the indelible title tune the first victim of voices drowned out by instruments. Fortunately for the cast and us, a better balance is struck midway through the first half and the quality of the show begins improving.
At one point, a teenager tells Ren that it must be "cool" to live in a city where "you can walk down the street and get mugged by somebody you don't even know.” The sadness in the line expertly expresses just how isolated these children feel, and our sympathy is engaged. This passes through to the group musical numbers, with the harmony on Somebody's Eyes nearly taking one's breath away.
Sadly, this also has the effect of creating a too obvious generation gap where, for the most part, the children are little more than victims of circumstance in the shadow of a handful of oppressive adults. The connection with the adults who do support the children, such as Maureen Nolan's Vi, doesn't always work either, leaving the talented Nolan feeling underused despite a pair of superb vocal performances.
Having said that, the choreography is clever, the most famous songs are delivered with the requisite brio, and the inventive set design makes full use of the Millennium Forum stage. Elements of shock and surprise are to be found within choral numbers like The Girl Gets Around and Mama Says, and at least four or five of the cast transcend the show's ensemble nature to give us some electrifying moments. The gradual burgeoning of Ren's chemistry with Hannah Price's Ariel is a pleasure to watch – by the time they perform their duet of Almost Paradise, their love seems earned. Joanna Sawyer delivers a simply sparkling Let's Hear It For The Boy which finds the right balance of energy and hilarity.
Best of all is Lee Brennan's Willard. The 911 star literally cuts loose and gives us a devil-may-care clown who lives as himself for himself, regardless of the amount of affection he receives. He's the ultimate ice breaker, stealing almost every scene he in, and helping to guide Footloose to an uplifting, high tempo medley of an encore which sees the packed Forum audience exit with smiles on their faces.
Simon Fallaha
Footloose ran in the Millennium Forum in L’Derry from 31 May until 04 June. For more shows go to millenniumforum.co.uk
