Theatre Review: Footloose – The Musical (UK Tour)

Footloose musical review: The classic story comes to the stage in a new musical that will have your feet tapping from start to finish.

The Footloose musical review by Katey Thompson, New Victoria Theatre, Woking. July 2016.

Footloose The Musical is an evening of foot tapping fun from start to end. Footloose was created by Dean Pitchford and is the tale of coming of age in an American Bible belt town. The songs of Footloose are known by us all who have heard songs from the 80’s and the show does not disappoint with a brilliant live performance.

Luke Baker is brilliant as Ren, a teenager who has been dragged away from his home in Chicago to a small backwater southern town of Bomont. Here we meet the rest of the cast in a church service over seen by the bigoted Reverend (Nigel Lister) who has the final say about everything in Bomont. His not so innocent daughter Aerial (brilliantly depicted by Hannah Price) adores and rebels against all the Reverend represents. Ren slowly falls for Aerial and makes friends with Willard (Gareth Gates) who despite his slow nature help Ren to challenge the status quo. Maureen Nolan is an excellent down trodden wife who is has been forced to mould herself into the good Reverend Shaw’s wife.

When Ren arrives in this small hicksville town he struggles to cope with adapting from the big bright lights of Chicago to the constant watching of the towns folk. The atmosphere of the town is oppressed by the fact that four of its youth were killed in a car accident. Ren is befriended by Willard who unfortunately has not been blessed with the best of looks or brains. Willard is forced to tell Ren that the town has banned dancing and that rock and roll music is illicit. Ren is shocked at this and slowly decides how to challenge this.

The musician actors in this show are a very talented cast as they leap and dance around the stage playing their instruments. One is even roller skating as she plays the saxophone! This creates an excellent vibe as you feel you are with the cast watching the band perform. This leads to a brilliant finish as the whole theatre is up joining in the prom dancing along with those on stage.

The topics touched on by the show are extremely varied and emotive – from first love, death, infatuation, depression, familial love and above all friendship. The entertainment is maintained from the start to the very end and you leave knowing you have seen a show with a great feel good factor. This is a great evening’s entertainment for young and old.

Footloose is running at the New Victoria Theatre in Woking until 23rd July 2016 before continuing to tour the UK until October. Click through for details on how to obtain Footloose tickets.