The four-time Tony nominated musical Footloose has made its way to Blackpool by way of the Sell a Door Theatre Company’s touring rendition. Filled with hits like; ‘I need a hero’, ‘Let’s hear it for the boy’ and the title track ‘Footloose’, this musical extravaganza brings a lot of fun to the table. Following the adolescent years of Ren (played by Luke Baker) moving from Chicago to Bomont, he soon realises that the town has banned dancing, in a spectacular rock ‘n’ roll escapade he makes it his mission to bring the groove back to the town.
The cast sees key celebrities such as Gareth Gates and Maureen Nolan in the cast who bring both considerable experience as well as the all-important selling point. Gates did a fantastic job of playing the comedy relief, he was funny and had effortless comedic timing, however I did feel perplexed when he failed to maintain his physical characteristics that he had developed for his part. It is after all imperative that if you make a stylist choice for your character that you remain consistent throughout your performance. Nolan, although legendary, wasn’t anything much to write home about unfortunately. As the conflicted mother of Ariel I often found myself bored in watching her performance, however she did impress with a wonderful rendition of the song ‘Can You Find It In Your Heart’, which captivated the audience and was genuinely quite moving.
The aesthetics of the production were phenomenal the general design of the set being industrial definitely compliments the rock ‘n’ roll composition. The set changes were seamless with numerous props and scenery flying in from every direction, all in keeping with the period within which the musical is based. This really did help bring the show to life.
Each instrument was played by the actors on stage themselves, who were really masters of their craft. Not only did they play the instruments in a standard format, they were also able to undertake the high demands of the show, such as playing while roller skating and performing the choreography. Another thing that must be mentioned is the vocals, which were magnificent. Every note was reached and the actor’s voices carried throughout the room often inducing the occasional head bop and thigh slap from the audience.
This production may be visually stunning and quite complex in most areas, however it should be stressed that for the title of the musical to be ‘Footloose’ at times the choreography fell flat. It seemed that some of the slow motion techniques were simply used as filler choreography to pass time, albeit at times they did add to the comedy aspect of the show. Nevertheless the comedy of these sequences was lost as they were utilised so often it began to feel like watching a broken record.
Overall this show deserved the standing ovation it received, it was a nice reminder to those training to be on the stage of the reason in why we put ourselves through so much gruelling training. The way in which this production moved the audience to leave all their inhibitions at the door and just have a good time was really a joy to watch. I highly recommend that you book your tickets today and don’t miss out on the chance to see an exceptional musical.
Footloose is at the Winter Gardens and runs until Saturday 24 September. For more information or to book tickets visit wintergardensblackpool.co.uk
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