Footloose: a lively, fun experience for all

Wednesday night, I was lucky enough to sit in on a rehearsal of Mt. Hood’s Winter Musical Theatre production of “Footloose,” and it sure didn’t disappoint.

Arriving early to see the last-minute preparations, I found energy and excitement among the cast and crew buzzing throughout the studio theatre. They jumped up and down in the hallways, ran back-and-forth across the stage, and worked hard up until the very last minute to be sure they mastered their harmonies and could hear themselves, all the while listening attentively to suggestions from both Mace Archer, director, and Kevin Lambert, music director for the performance.

It was easy to tell how much they all liked each other, and clearly had a lot of fun while preparing these last couple months. Behind the scenes and on-stage, the chemistry the group shared was certainly something special.

With the stage set and the cast warmed up, the show began moments after 7:30, and ran until roughly 10 o’clock, with a 15-20 minute intermission. The show certainly is a long one, and the intermission helps to break it up a bit. But, I would recommend caffeinating beforehand, if you have trouble staying up late and can’t make one of the Sunday matinees.

The singing, overall, got off to a rough start for some, but most quickly found their groove. I’ll attribute some of the screechy notes to nerves. With the undertaking of such a large musical, one should not expect complete vocal perfection but rather a respectable attempt to do the songs justice, sometimes falling short, but usually exceeding expectations.

Based on the 1984 motion picture, Footloose is set in the small town of Beaumont — a town that has seen tragedy in the form of the deaths in a car accident of some of its brightest high school seniors — and because of that, operates under strict rules by the city council and most notably, Reverend Shaw Moore (Alex Giorgi).

Dancing is strictly off-limits, because the Reverend believes nothing good will come of it, and it leads to other bad things, such as drugs and alcohol. Having lost his own son in the accident, he is struggling to battle his own emotions, and in turn, the teenagers of the town are being punished.

Ariel (Sydney Hope), the Reverend’s daughter, is the lead female character who is rebelling against her father and trying to find herself at the same time. In the midst of stirring up trouble with her bad-news boyfriend Chuck (Drew Pierce), Ariel meets Ren (Luke Swearengin), a city boy from Chicago who is new in town and determined to dance. His determination is what brings the teenagers of the town together to fight for their right to dance.

The opening dance number, set in Chicago and centered on Ren and his friends, was packed with energy and got the show off to a great start, setting the tone for a fun evening. As the curtain raised and I could see only the movement of their shoes, it was clear the dancing would be top-notch.

The chemistry of the two leads, Hope and Swearengin, is something to behold, especially during Ren and Ariel’s one-on-one scene where they sing “Almost Paradise” in a close, intimate setting with just the spotlight on them as they sit on the edge of the stage.

Hope did a great job of transforming her unlikable character in the beginning to someone who grew and changed at the end, all the while giving the play a fun and flirty vibe. Especially notable was the number “I Need A Hero,” where she put on an amazing vocal performance along with her sidekicks, Rusty (McKenzie Hatton), Urleen (Becca Cheadle) and Wendy Jo (Netty McKenzie).

Urleen, Rusty and Wendy Jo were also particularly enjoyable characters, always keeping things light and fun amidst the more serious scenes. The three girls sing “Somebody’s Eyes,” a fun number that helped mark the passage of time in Beaumont and show Ren just how difficult things were going to be for him in the strict town.

Swearengin, however, was truly the star of the show and showcased his singing and dancing skills, from start to finish.  His quick footwork; down-to-earth, yet, angry at the same time attitude; and very likable character traits had me picking him as a favorite. His singing was on-point the whole time, and I was pleasantly surprised at the magnitude of his dance moves.

It was clear he had put in the time and work to master the choreography and still sound great singing at the same time, which no other character had to do as often as he did, or to quite the same level of difficulty. His number in the school hallway was among my favorites, and his complex relationship with Reverend Shaw was enjoyable. The two actors did a good job making the audience buy into their strange friendship at the end — if that’s what you would call it.

Another bright spot was the vocal performances by Vi (Tootsie West), who played Ariel’s mother, the wife of Reverend Shaw. West’s vocals gave me goosebumps more than once, and her number “Can You Find It In Your Heart” was among the most emotion-laden moments of the night. I found her character refreshing and her poised manner completely believable.

The closing number ended the night just as captivating as it began — the costumes were my favorite (can you say glitter?), and the lights and color changes of the set’s background made it particularly appealing, almost like being in a dance club. The group saved the best for last. 

While the play wasn’t flawless, in particular the vocals, the few mistakes were minor enough they should easily be cleaned up by the opening performance.

The dance numbers that involve nearly the whole cast were the most fun to watch because you could tell how much each and every one of them were enjoying them — and you’ll be having fun, too, if you go and see it.

Footloose opens at 7:30 p.m. tonight, followed by another showing at the same time on Saturday, and more showtimes next weekend. Tickets for students and MHCC staff are $10 in advance, $12 at the door; for all other adults, $12 in advance, and $15 at the door.

For a behind-the-scenes video of Footloose, visit our YouTube channel mhccadvocate.