FLAT ROCK, N.C. (828newsNOW) — You better cut loose, “Footloose,” and head down to Flat Rock Playhouse, home of the dance-heavy musical from June 12–July 5.
When is “Footloose” showing at Flat Rock Playhouse?
“Footloose” will be performed at alternating 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. shows until Sunday, July 5, at Flat Rock Playhouse, 2661 Greenville Hwy. in downtown Flat Rock, N.C.
Who stars in “Footloose”?
“Footloose” was adapted by Dean Pitchford and Walter Bobbie from the original screenplay by Pitchford. Music was contributed by Tom Snow with lyrics by Pitchford.
At Flat Rock Playhouse, the show was directed by Ethan Andersen, with choreography by associate director Candi Boyd and music direction by Nathan Trivers.
“Footloose” stars JJ Niemann as Ren McCormack, Saige Smith as Ariel Moore, Scott Treadway as Rev. Shaw Moore, Nicole Powell as Vi Moore, Jared Goldsmith as Willard Hewitt and Lucy Werner as Rusty. Find the full cast and crew in the show playbill here.
Review: “Footloose” at Flat Rock Playhouse
If you are going to stage a production of “Footloose,” the story of a young man who teaches a small Texas town it’s cool to dance, you better make sure you have dancers to do it.
Flat Rock Playhouse had no need to hold out for a hero. Their “Footloose” players were dancers.
The dance numbers of the Flat Rock show were dazzling, choreographed by Candi Boyd and led by JJ Niemann as Ren, the dancing town hero. With 18 tracks on the show track list, Boyd designed an impressively robust array of movement.
Each tune had its own distinctive moves:
“The Girl Gets Around” was sleazy, slinky and motorcycle-straddling.
“I Can’t Stand Still” was acrobatic, exuberant and a showcase for acting-while-moving.
Then there was “Still Rockin’” and “Let’s Hear It for the Boy,” the latter a masterclass in comic acting and dancing for Jared Goldsmith, who was genuinely terrific as Willard Hewitt. As the character found his footing learning to dance, the ensemble exploded with swing dancing fever, slingin’ each other all o’er tarnation. It was terrific.
The bravura sequence of the show, however, was “Holding out for a Hero!”
Staged in a smoky, glam-rock version of an old-school diner, the sequence was a glitzy, gonzo showstopper. Glitter was thrown, roller skates were on, tables were danced upon and Sage Smith shone as bad-girl-preacher’s-daughter Ariel Moore.
“Footloose,” the titular finale, was a ton of fun, of course.
Other parts of the show were less successful. For a show ostensibly set in the 80s and so conceptually tactile, the digital backdrops felt incongruous — and occasionally gaudy, particularly when floating retro ephemera would appear. Outside of a few standout vocalists — Smith, in particular — the singing was always second to the dancing in execution. Not many jokes landed, either, though Goldsmith and Lucy Werner, playing Willard’s counterpart, Rusty, made up for it with their sublime comic timing.
However, the dancing was nothing but undeniable. In its purest dance party form, “Footloose” was bright, colorful and a heap of fun. The feet of this cast could move!
