The pace was set from the very beginning and the toe-tapping momentum kept going all the way through. Footloose is based on the 1984 film of the same title which catapulted Kevin Bacon into stardom… a role he has been trying to distance himself from ever since. Teenager Ren McCormack, played by the very talented Derek Hough, and his mother move to the small town of Bomont, a tiny town in Middle America. But the perfect life is not all as it seems as Ren steps on people’s toes and finds himself in trouble at every turn. The town has been through a tragedy and ever since a fateful night over five years ago, dancing has been banned. Cue big drum roll and gasps of astonishment. The plot is formulaic and you know what is going to happen as soon as the scene is set but if you give yourself over to the cheesy American teen angst, you will thoroughly enjoy yourself. | "A great show with a great cast and had us singing in the car all the way home." | | Anna Blackburn |
The whole cast looked as if they were having a great time and belted out classic 80s ballads with gusto. A special mention has to be given to the Burger Blast scene which was fantastic. The lead female, Ariel, played by Miria Parvin, gave an excellent performance of Holding Out For A Hero accompanied by her three “best friends” and a cast of gorgeous heroes. Lead man Derek Hough also proved that white men can dance. He made the role his own with a few obvious but well-placed homages to Kevin Bacon. Highlights included the soppy but sweet balcony scene and an uplifting final school dance routine. Strong performances also came from the reverend and his wife played by Lyn Paul and Julian Agnew and scene five in the reverend’s home between Ariel, Vi and Ren’s mother was beautiful. Who needs these search-for-a-musical-star-from-the-general-public programmes when you have such fresh, young musical talent already on stage? A great show with a great cast and had us singing in the car all the way home. Footloose is on at the Nottingham Theatre Royal until Saturday 19 May 2007. For more information contact the Royal Centre box office on 0115 989 5555. | 
