Last night saw the opening night of Footloose: The Musical at Venue Cymru in Llandudno starring Gareth Gates and Maureen Nolan (Blood Brothers).

The show is running until the 10th June and is based on the 1984 screen sensation starring Kevin Bacon, Footloose: The Musical tells the story of city boy Ren (Joshua Dowen), who has to move to a rural backwater in America where dancing is banned. All hell breaks out as Ren breaks loose and soon has the whole town up on its feet.Featuring classic 80s hits including Holding Out for a Hero, Almost Paradise, Let’s Hear it for the Boy and the unforgettable title track, Footloose: The Musical is set to take the world by storm once again in this brand new production, bursting with

The show features classic 80s hits including Holding Out for a Hero, Almost Paradise, Let’s Hear it for the Boy and the unforgettable title track.

When the film was released in 1984, it became the highest-grossing February release in US film history. The soundtrack album ended the year-long reign of Michael Jackson’s Thriller at number one and went on top album charts all over the world, eventually selling in excess of 17 million copies. Footloose was nominated for a Golden Globe, and both the title song and Let’s Hear It for the Boy received Academy Award nominations. Footloose: The Musical first opened on Broadway in 1998 where it ran for 709 performances, with a London production following in 2006, opening at the Novello Theatre following a UK Tour.

How Does Footloose: The Musical Compare to the Movie?

I’m a big fan of the 1984 movie and even the 2011 remake was a good one to watch as well, so after hearing so much about Footloose: The Musical I couldn’t wait to get on over to Venue Cymru to check out how the story works in musical format and I was pleasantly surprised.

First of all the set is nicely designed to bring in the various locations through the story, such as the church where Rev Shaw Moore (Reuven Gershon) preaches the word to his congregation and even a scene with a gym, it’s all nicely put together and brings the key locations to life.

The lighting is also very nicely done with the use of various colours of backlighting to produce various times of day and night, plus the spotlights that not only pinpoint the actors but also parts of the stage to produce some rather delicious lighting effects.

As for the music in the show, the majority of the cast play the music live during the performance and I don’t mean from the pit area or behind the stage, as the actors are on the stage they have their instruments and play them while acting, brilliant! For example, Lindsay Goodhand who plays Ethel McCormack, Ren’s mother, plays the flute, clarinet, tenor and bari sax, not only that she also plays the parts of Betty and Coach Dunbar.

The same goes with other cast members playing various instruments and parts throughout the show, which goes to show their talents and professionalism during Footloose: The Musical.

Joshua Dowen is great as Ren McCormack, not only does he have the moves for Footloose, but it also has a superb presence on the stage during his performance, he also had great chemistry with the rest of the cast and it certainly helped with bringing the show to life at Venue Cymru.

I last saw Maureen Nolan in the superb Blood Brothers and she was stunning and yet again she puts on another brilliant performance as both Vi Moore (The Reverends wife) and Principal Clark, not only does she play the two parts very well, but she also has some lovely moments when her singing voice shines as she sings her parts, she’s always a joy to watch and listen to in the plays that she performs in.

Great music, sets, lighting, Choreography and @Gareth_Gates down to a pair of short shorts!
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I wasn’t sure what to expect with Gareth Gates as he played the part of Willard, but I was pleasantly surprised by the comedic role that he has in the show, his time on stage certainly brought in the moments of light relief and the audience loved him and there were certainly a few cheers going around when, in one scene, he is stripped down to his short shorts to reveal a slightly toned physique.

Footloose: The Musical is certainly a show worth seeing, it is one of those shows that certainly has your feet tapping to the music and is one that many will be talking about in years to come. Opening night of the show at Venue Cymru ended with a well-deserved standing ovation and Gareth Gates must have had the loudest round of applause from the audience and well-deserved, all the cast and crew have put on a brilliant show and this is certainly one that you don’t want to miss.

My recommendation is to cut loose, go see the show and have a musical night out.

Footloose: The Musical has music by Tom Snow and lyrics by Dean Pitchford, and is adapted for the stage by Dean Pitchford and Walter Bobbie. It is based on the original screenplay by Dean Pitchford. It is directed by Racky Plews (American Idiot, West End) with choreography by Matthew Cole, design by Sara Perks and musical supervision by Mark Crossland. It is produced by David Hutchinson and Phillip Rowntree for Sell A Door Theatre Company, Tristan Baker and Charlie Parsons for Runaway Entertainment, Jason Haigh-Ellery and Stephen McGill Productions. It is presented by arrangement with R&H Theatricals Europe.

The show is running until the 10th June at Venue Cymru in Llandudno, tickets available from the website www.venuecymru.co.uk or the Box Office on 01492 872000.

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