Footloose is an iconic 80's film that truly gets toes tapping and people dancing. It's a film that doesn't take itself too seriously whilst entertaining the masses at the same time. Based loosely on a true story, Footloose is set in a place where dancing and fun is banned, and where one young man is on a mission to overturn that ban and allow the community to dance again.
It's now also a show that is currently touring the UK and has a cast that brings this iconic story to life in a way that had every audience member on their feet. In a time when theatre's are still closing due to Covid, Footloose reminds you that everyone deserves a song and dance. Currently gracing the stage of the Mayflower Theatre, Southampton, Max and I headed along to kick off our Sunday shoes and join the fun.
Footloose follows the story of Ren McCormack (Joshua Hawkins), a young guy from Chicago who is thrown into the small town life of Bomont, a city where fun is limited to going to church and the diner. Upon meeting his fellow classmates Ariel (Lucy Munden), Rusty (Oonagh Cox), and Willard (Jake Quickenden) they decide to petition the local town council to allow them to hold a prom. The only problem being that they have to face the judgement of the grown ups, including Rev Moore (Ben Barrow). With a tragedy lying in the history of the town, will these teens get their dancing feet moving?
I was amazed by the talent on stage, as not only were the cast singing, acting and dancing, they were also playing the instruments too. Watching these actors leap around on stage with guitars and saxophone's was just an incredible feat to see, and the performers should be proud of themselves. Both Hawkins and Quickenden took to their lead roles with ease. Quickenden gave the the perfect blend of comedy and sincerity that you would expect from hapless teenagers, whilst their love interests played by Munden and Cox complimented their acting perfectly. In fact the whole cast were just incredible at their ability to have the stamina and energy to do this show night after night.
Footloose is a show that most people know and love. From the offset this show packs a punch, with high octane numbers that have you toe tapping along with the actors, you are thrown into this bright world. We absolutely loved the big show numbers, and felt that Holding Out For A Hero and Mama Says were definitely some of our favourites. At times I felt that the slower songs were almost dragging, but as soon as the mood started to dip, the high energy emerged and you were thrown back into the spotlight.
Whilst not the most complex and high brow of shows, Footloose does everything you need it to do as a musical. It entertains, has people dancing and brings a smile to audience members faces as they either enjoy the story or reminisce on their own teenage years. It's a show that definitely doesn't take itself seriously, but packs more talent than I've seen in a long time. A celebration of freedom of expression, 80's music and good old fashioned dancing, this show had everyone up on their feet at the end and losing themselves in the magic of the stage for a few hours.
Footloose doesn't come with an age rating on the show, but it's worth noting that there was a fair amount of sexual innuendo's and 80's humour (that we all know can be a bit tongue in cheek), so it's worth noting this before you head with you family. Having said that, Max had an absolute blast and was dancing in his seat for most of the night.
Footloose is on at the Mayflower Theatre, Southampton until 7th May 2022 before heading on a UK tour. For more information and to buy tickets (including limited tickets priced at £19.84) please follow the link:
Footloose tickets
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