New Victoria Theatre, Woking, Monday 13th June 2022
Footloose is, as has often been discussed on our show, a musical that I know mostly from parodies. Clearly, it has significant status amongst fans of the film and the basic premise – Kevin Bacon wants to dance in a town that has banned dancing for religious grounds – is one that has a significant impact on many. With a remake released by Paramount in 2011 and the musical launching in 1998, is this show simply a nostalgia trip to the 1980’s? Is it designed for fans of the source material, or is this accessible to someone like me with no loyalty to the original?
Joshua Hawkins, Guildford School of Acting alumni, brings Ren McCormack to life. He quickly establishes himself as an energetic dynamo who doesn’t belong in small-town Bomont. There’s a real charm to his performance, as he tries to break through the status quo and establish himself in a town that simply won’t give him a chance. I Can’t Stand Still is a fantastic number that lives up to its name. With a bold costume choice (towel… and only a towel!) Hawkins owns the stage and creates an instant connection, not only with the audience but with Ben Mabberley’s Willard (covering for the absent Jake Quickenden, who we hope recovers soon!) Their interactions with Willard – a little overwhelmed by this in your face character - helps us get to know that Ren is very genuine and is absolutely a fish out of water. It makes his pursuits to bring dance back to Bomont very genuine, when they could be seen as selfish.
Speaking of Willard, we were treated to Ben Mabberley stepping into cover for the injured Jake Quickenden. Throughout the show, Willard was a quiet, but diligent part of the cast and the growth of the character is ultimately one of my favourite parts of the show. His opening moments, interacting with (and… threatening?) Ren paint Willard to be nothing more than a Bomont local, with no aspirations and happy to stay in his lane. He is awkward around the girls, and is seen as nothing more than a joke – quick to temper, rebel without a cause and a simple Mama’s boy. However, his growth, and watching him learn to embrace this new friendship, settle his attitude and mature into a calm young man and, ultimately, end the show by finally overcoming his awkwardness and talking to Rusty is wonderful. Mabberley is an absolute delight. He is a comedic tour de force. Watching him learn to dance at the start of Act 2 akin to Bambi on ice, and giving Ren a much needed pep talk in Mama Says (You Can’t Back Down) for instance are excellent moments, as is him telling Rusty he will get her a croissant to wear to the dance – but my favourite moment was him embracing his inner hero for Holding Out For a Hero. You will love it.
Taking the role of antagonist, we have Darren Day cast as Rev. Shaw Moore and he is fantastic. Knowing him primarily for his reality TV pursuits, he has a remarkable Music CV (Joseph, Grease, Godspell, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, We Will Rock You and Hello, Dolly to name a few) and you can see why. There’s a quiet, understated power to his performance. Going into the show, I was expecting a more sinister villain, but was incredibly drawn into his portrayal of Moore. On Any Sunday is a great introduction to the character, and he ooze charisma. Torn between his job and fatherhood, I felt him to be much more sympathetic (although deeply flawed) than I anticipated. When talking with Drew at the interval, Moore was one of the key characters we focused upon and I discussed feeling his actions to not be those of a bad person, but a conflicted and possibly depressed person. As we reach key reveals in Act 2, I felt incredibly proud I had picked up on this subtext as it became clearer the actions Moore was taking we’re not true to the man he had been and was symptomatic of a greater conflict within him. All of this is a testament to the performance of Day, who has gone above and beyond in his portrayal of Moore; taking him from just words on a page into a well-rounded character with lots of depth.
It feels like a disservice to not talk about the rest of the cast; especially as they play the instruments on stage live. Footloose is quite the spectacle, and they all play their parts fantastically. However, I would like to mention how wonderful Lucy Munden was in her professional debut as Ariel Moore. Like with Rev. Moore, I was pleasantly surprised to see much more development and depth to the character. Munden brings a raw vulnerability to the character, and seeing her journey over the narrative is a true delight. Munden captures the confidence of Ariel fantastically, but is also able to show the sorrow. Almost Paradise is a wonderfully intimate ballad between her and Hawkins. Lucy Munden has a truly bright future ahead of her, and is certainly one to watch.
Visually and aurally, Footloose is an absolute treat. Sara Perks’ design is excellent as it takes across multiple locations, but also captures the grimy, old fashioned Bomont in desperate need of life. Along with some wonderful multi-purpose props, the transitions are swift and smooth. The choreography (Matt Cole) is crisp and a joy to watch – it’s delightful, upbeat and one of the biggest reasons Footloose is so successful. Opening up with Footloose, the show starts on a high, it establishes the energy and engages the audience. You know you are in for a fun night after such a joyous opening sequence. Mike Nichols (Musical Director) has done a great job with the music – I love seeing the different actors come on and perform in different scenes; from sexy saxophone solos to flutes and guitars; it’s incredibly fun. Perhaps the highlight of the night for me was hearing the guitar rift for Bonnie Tyler’s Holding Out For A Hero. A firm favourite of mine since childhood in all its forms (Shrek 2 – I’m looking at you!), I was overwhelmed with joy in hearing it and seeing the song performed wonderfully by Lucy Munden and Oonagh Cox (Rusty). It was big, it was fun and I had the biggest smile on my face.
The sole critique I have of Footloose is the lack of depth for some characters. Urleen and Wendy-Jo (performed wonderfully by Samantha Richards and Jess Barker) are there for comic relief and the characters are remarkably similar to some of the Pink Ladies from Grease; for a show released in 1998, more could have been done than relying on old tropes. Likewise, I feel that Ethel McCormack (Wendy Paver) was done wrong. You get glimpses of how miserable she is in Bomont and I wanted to see more of her story – she was the one who escaped and has had to come back, tail between her legs, which is heart-breaking! Moments with his Uncle are far and few between and left me wanting for more. There is a rich, untapped story here. I feel it would have made her final moment, consoling Ren after he fails to change the law and inspires him to step up, more meaningful and poignant if her role was expanded. Imagine, watching her lose her voice and see Ren suffering, and at the moment he has lost his voice, she finds hers, empowered by the will of her son to change… just a thought. Wendy Paver did a tremendous job, taking on the roles of Betty and the Coach in addition to Ethel, but it always feels jarring to me seeing the parent character take on an antagonistic role towards their child as another character.
Footloose is pure 80’s nostalgia, and it is wonderful for it. You’ll love every second that you are sat watching this show. It keeps the songs you long to hear (Footloose, Holding Out For A Hero, I’m Free), whilst also introducing you to some excellent new additions.
****/5
Download our episode – coming out Monday 20th June for more of our thoughts and to find out who our MVP is; along with more talk on our favourite songs and what roles we would want to play.
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Footloose is currently playing at the New Victoria Theatre in Woking until Saturday 18th June 2022. You can follow them on:
Twitter: @WokingTheatre
Instagram: @NewVictoriaTheatreWoking
Twitter & Instagram: @FootlooseTour