This blog post was written for East Midlands Theatre.
Footloose, the latest musical offering from Loughborough-based group ESNA, takes the audience to Bomont, a small town in the middle of nowhere where dancing is illegal. The play focuses on new-boy-in-town Ren (Aaron Murray, who releases his inner dance demons through a range of high-speed dance numbers). Ren is determined to make changes in Bomont, but faces challenge from Reverend Shaw Moore (Gareth Busson as the villain with a heart) and his uncle Wes (Philip de Voil).
Ren is not alone in his crusade – he is joined by the Reverand’s tearaway daughter Ariel (Danielle Aley, whose excellent singing voice is a particular highlight throughout) and hillbilly Willard (Matt Barton-Ashcroft, who offers many comedic moments thanks to some very funny dancing – although I’m not sure I’ll be going out to buy my own set of gold hot pants/dungarees personally any time soon!).
The show is filled with 80s pop songs, including “Let’s Hear It for the Boy”, performed by Rusty (Hannah Bailey) as she tries to woo Willard. Rusty and Willard’s relationship is very sweet and played very believably by Barton-Ashcroft and Bailey. Aley and Bailey lead the vocals in “Holding Out For A Hero”, joined by Urleen (Harriet North) and Wendy Jo (Karen Hickling, who must have got through an entire bag of lollipops during the evening). The cast nail the harmonies, and thanks to the excellent work of the band, led by musical director Meng Khaw, this is sure to get your feet tapping – and thankfully we get a reprise of the number at the end of the show.
Some slower numbers allow the cast to flex their impressive singing abilities – including Busson during “Heaven Help Me”, as well as Jenny Stuttle (as the Reverand’s wife Vi) and Jo Dring (as Ren’s mother Ethel) during the ballad “Learning to be Silent”.
The musical is based on the 1984 film of the same name, and, although the musical had been updated to present day for its original run, director James Nelson has set this production firmly in the 80s, complete with lots of references to 80s movies. Keep your eyes out for a cameo from E.T. in Act 2!. The attention to detail afforded to this production throughout the two-and-a-half hour runtime shows just how much care and love has gone into putting this show together. Although it is a close thing, a special cheeky mention must go to Murray and Natasha Bryan for managing to stay upright throughout the roller-skating scene!
The show comes to life in its dance numbers, choreographed by Caterina Harrison, with a strong ensemble helping to bring the town of Bomont to life as dancing starts to seep back into the residents’ lives. The show slows down in the second half, as the dance numbers take a backseat to allow for some important plot development – and an intense confrontation between Ren and Minister Moore leads to some big reveals that I shall not spoil here. The show ends with a huge mashup of all the pop songs, in a well-deserved extended curtain call for all cast members, and allowing some of the more “serious” characters a chance to finally kick off their Sunday shoes.
Overall, this is a fun-filled evening of entertainment, that is sure to leave you with a smile on your face and the sounds of the 80s playing in your head on the way home and certainly a must-watch for all musical theatre fans.
Footloose by ESNA runs at Loughborough Town Hall until 13th April.
Tom Morley, April 2024
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