Theatre Royal, Windsor – until 2 November 2019
Reviewed by Liberty Noke
3***
I have to be honest that before tonight I had never seen Footloose not even the film version. Although I was familiar with the songs as I’m sure most people are, so was looking forward to this show.
The opening number Footloose was the classic we all know and love but with a slight modern twist. The dancers performed with infectious energy that made me want to dance along with them. Anders Callaway gave a very convincing performance of Ren, a teenage boy from Chicago who moves to the small town of Bomont with his mother after his father abandoned them. He is shocked to find out that dancing has been outlawed by the Reverend but with the help of some new friends Ren convinces the Reverend to allow dancing once more.
Samira Muusa brought plenty of sass to the role of Ariel and I found Rana Abid-Ali’s portrayal of Vi rather moving as you could hear the character pain in her voice as she sang.
It was fantastic to see so many talented young people in this cast and although this was an amateur youth performance the cast were professional. At one point the table on the stage broke and fell to the ground. Despite laughter from the audience the cast continued as if nothing had happened. The entire cast also maintained convincing American accents throughout most notably Thomas Witheridge playing Willard.
Overall a very enjoyable show with lots of fantastic musical numbers. I would definitely watch Rare Productions perform again.