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From the opening seconds, Footloose – which is currently running at The Liverpool Empire Theatre – oozes fun, nostalgia and upbeat niceness, even if this production is a little lackluster in places.
In small town Oklahoma there’s rebellion in the air! The town’s young people are suffering under the misguided regime of local pastor Shaw Moore who has banned dancing. He believes that ‘when boys and girls breathe in each other’s ears, fornication is the next step’. Then city boy Ren McCormack arrives and proves to be the spark that ignites the fire that sets the town ablaze.
With this being the show-of-the-film-that- made-Kevin-Bacon- a-star, then there’s a lot to live up to and mostly it succeeds. Luke Baker’s Ren is outstanding, along with Lee Brennan’s Willard who is so infectiously loveable he can’t help but bring warmth and laughter in equal measure.
Other show stealers are the female members of the cast. Led by Hannah Price as Ariel and Joanna Sawyer as Rusty, Holding Out for a Hero and Let’s Hear It for The Boy are sung with such energy and passion the pair’s genuine singing talent makes the tempo of these songs so infectious.
The clever set design transforms the stage so that the carefully crafted comic moments of minor characters become brighter and the producers have given notable attention to all aspects of this performance, with few breaks in a suspension of belief.
What the show does lack, though, is any real sense of “oomph” and something – a real energy and zest – seems lacking in the production values. This despite the vim and vitality put into proceedings, none less so than by the excellent cast.
This said though, as the last lines of the title song fade, the audience is on their feet with a standing ovation; a telling sign of an enjoyable performance that keeps everyone entertained.
Footloose
Liverpool Empire
9th – 14th May, 2016
Running time: 2 hours 20 minutes
PR Rating: ***