Footloose At the Mayflower Theatre, Southampton Review
Reviewed by Jane Warwick
The audience went wild last night, dancing and clapping for at least ten minutes during the finale of this wonderful, feel-good show which is the perfect tonic after the strictures of the pandemic. Based on the popular 1980’s movie starring Kevin Bacon, Footloose tells the story of city boy Ren McCormack who moves from Chicago to back-of-beyond Belmont where dancing has been banned by the local minister. Rebellious Ren eventually manages to organise a school prom, and the plot is a wonderful vehicle for some stunning dancing, some memorable 1980’s pop songs and some laugh out loud humour. Amazingly the tale of a town where dancing was banned, even in the 1970s, is based on the true story of Elmore City in Oklahoma!
Joshua Hawkins played Ren and the sheer energy he put into his dancing and acrobatics was breath taking. Combined with a good singing voice and excellent comic timing (eg as a trainee waiter on roller skates!) he played the lead role to perfection. Lucy Munden very ably played the Reverend’s heart -throb daughter, Ariel, who was torn between admiration for how her father had been, and confusion to how he was now behaving. She sang some rousing numbers including the magnificently entertaining hit Holding Out For A Hero. Reverend Shaw was played last night by understudy Ben Barron and he did this very well-helping us to understand why the Reverend was so strait-laced (following the death of his son) and then realising that he was not the only one suffering grief but wanted only the best for his daughter.
Jake Quickenden (winner of Dancing On Ice) has star billing in the show and plays Willard Hewitt, a simple country bumpkin with a warm heart and a big smile. Jake has ample opportunity to demonstrate his prowess as both a dancer and a comedian and his partnership with the excellent Oonagh Cox as Rusty is a highlight of the show as they awkwardly navigate teenage friendships. Moreover, Willard’s ‘learning to dance’ routine is most entertaining whilst his metallic gold underwear and near naked body during one routine must have had some of the younger members of the audience swooning!
The whole ensemble deserves a mention, not only for their lively energetic dancing but that many had several different roles to perform and played their instruments live on stage, even when dancing or performing acrobatics. Quite some feat!
Sara Perk’s set design for Footloose was impressive and there were regular smooth and creative transitions on stage such as shower cubicles revolving into school lockers or the church being transformed into a burger bar. Together with clever lighting these transitions ensured continuity in the action without cumbersome breaks. There are rousing songs aplenty including the title song Footloose, Lets Hear it For the Boy, Still Rockin and Almost Paradise, as well as comedy numbers like Mama Says and slower more meaningful numbers like Learning to be Silent. In general the music was excellent and my only gripe was that the sound mixing was a little harsh and the bass sometimes overpowered the lyrics. Nevertheless, my feet were tapping along with most of the audience and I did not want the extended finale to finish.
The Mayflower is an excellent venue and a deservedly popular theatre. The Circle seat I was in gave an excellent view of the stage and there is a well- stocked bar and the facility to bring your drinks into the auditorium. There is good parking and a good selection of restaurants within easy reach making it the ideal place for an enjoyable evening’s entertainment.
Rating: 5/5
Tickets for Footloose range from £19.84 to £49.50 and it is showing at The Mayflower until May 7th
For more information or to book tickets call the box office on tel:02380711811 or online at
https://www.mayflower.org.uk/your-visit/booking-information
Address of the theatre is 22-26 Commercial Rd, Southampton SO15 1GE