Footloose!

"Let's hear it for the boy, let's give the boy a hand!" Footloose is one of my favorites. The show is full of catchy songs that will have you tappin' your foot.

Footloose, the musical version, is based on the screenplay for the 1984 film. Footloose is the story of a boy named Ren and his mother who move to a small Midwestern town when his parents divorce. Here, dancing is prohibited by the Reverend within the city limits because years earlier four teenagers, on of which was the Reverend's son, were killed in a car crash coming home from a dance. The Reverend's other child, Ariel, becomes enchanted with Ren. Ren challenges the Reverend and the City Council on the law. After a ton of soul searching, the Reverend has a change of heart and sees that dancing is not a crime.

Despite generally poor reviews, it ran for a year and a half on Broadway at the Richards Rodgers Theatre in 1998. There was recently a revival movie in 2011 staring Julianne Hough that was wildly popular. The movie did much better than the live performances.

The cast involved many amazing performers including Jeremy Kushneir, Jennifer Laura Thompson, Cathrine Cox, and many others.

The creative design and directing company included Walter Bobbie, A.C. Ciulla, Dodger

Endmol, Theatricals, Tim Snow, Dean Pitchford, and Kenny Loggins.

Footloose is a classic story that has found a way into our hearts. "Dancing Is Not A Crime," and neither is "Cutting loose, Footloose…"

Terrible puns everywhere. Sorry, I'm "Learning to be Silent." Haha, "I Must Confess" that last one was on purpose…

To read more about the classic production or to buy a copy of the recent revival film, visit:

http://www.libraryvideocompany.com/Footloose

http://www.imdb.com

http://www.tennessean.com

http://www.footloosemovie.com

Until next week, theatre nerds!