Footloose: The Dance Musical (Leeds Grand, 28/06/11)

The night after seeing The Wiz we were at the theatre once more (The Grand this time) for another musical. This one we'd only booked the week before, taking advantage of a 2 for 1 offer on tickets. I'd hesitated to book this earlier as I've never seen the 80's movie on which it's based, and I'd just lumped it alongside Flashdance/Fame/Dirty Dancing as one of those movies women bang on about but I suspect probably aren't very good if you didn't catch them when young and female. 

I was surprised then to find Footloose (subtitled, The Dance Musical) was a really enjoyable show. While not as joyfully uproarious as The Wiz it still left me buzzing and singing the many top songs, the best of which were taken directly from the movie, and which I'm familiar with from student disco nights. The plot tells of how Ren (stupid name) moves from Chicago to Bomont, a small town where everyone knows everyone and dancing has been banned by the town council. Naturally Ren likes to dance and you can tell where it's all leading within 5 minutes. The predictable nature of the plot doesn't do anything to detract from the fun song and dance numbers, and there's a bit of humour thrown in the mix too.

Act 1

1. Footloose - Ren McCormack and Company
2. On Any Sunday – Reverend Shaw Moore and Company
3. The Girl Gets Around – Chuck, Travis, Lyle, Ariel
4. I Can't Stand Still – Ren
5. Somebody's Eyes – Rusty, Urleen, Wendy Jo, and Company
6. Learning to be Silent – Vi, Ethel, and Ariel (after revison)
7. Holding Out for a Hero – Ariel, Rusty, Urleen, Wendy Jo
8. Heaven Help Me – Rev. Moore
9. I'm Free / Heaven Help Me - Ren McCormack, Reverend Shaw Moore, and Company

Act 2

1. Still Rockin' – Cowboy Bob and his Band
2. Let's Hear it For the Boy – Rusty and the Girls
3. Can You Find it in Your Heart? – Vi
4. Mama Says (You Can't Back Down) – Willard, Bickle, Garvin, Jeter, Ren
5. Almost Paradise – Ren and Ariel
6. Heaven Help Me (Reprise) – Rev. Moore
7. Can You Find it in Your Heart? (Reprise) – Rev. Moore
8. Footloose (Finale) – Company

One of the hottest numbers was Holding Out for a Hero, which love interest Ariel and her mates belt out in a diner, along with a host of hot, mostly topless hunks, dressed like straight Village People. It was a heck of a performance. I also really liked Mama Says, a funnier number from comic relief Willard, who also got to show off some killer dance moves during Let's Hear it For the Boy. The whole thing ended like a party remix, in much the same vein as Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat with a number of hi-energy reprises of the show's most popular songs. It was a fittingly energetic end to a non-stop sing and dance 'classic'.