Footloose

A standing ovation, the audience on its feet, clapping and singing along. At the final curtain the company gave a storming reprieve of the hits from a show born of a film. At that point the sound came together in a way that it had failed to achieve throughout the whole show. I remained seated, pleased in one sense that the company were receiving that support but somewhat mystified why it had take so long for the show to come together.

From the outset the cast were being let down by technical issues some of which may have been human error some mechanical. There were rather too many missed sound and lighting cues and an already littered stage with a busy looking set was not helped by the frequent appearances of headset wearing staging hands wheeling on further elements of the set.

The company of undoubtedly talented actor/musicians were constantly fighting for space and guitar wielding performers spinning around… well one feared that someone might lose an eye! This current trend can work well, but last night I wished for a band that was focused on the music and a cast released from those instruments.

Technical issues apart the lighting was rather poor with frequent scenes desperately under lit and at one moment, a vocal trio where one performer was left atop a staircase in total darkness. All this detracted from the performances which at times were very good indeed.

Darren Day plays the part of the grieving father well and his voice has a rounded clarity ideally suited to the role. Jake Quickenden gives an equally strong performance as the slightly dim Willard Hewitt, a gangly youth who finally blossoms, and earlier his appearance in gold lamé hot pants has the audience whooping with joy.

Joshua Hawkins in the lead role of Ren has a certain charm, a decent voice and loads of energy, but on that crowded stage that energy struggles to find choreographic precision.

The highlight of a somewhat disappointing evening goes to Holly Ashton who in the role of Vi Moore (yes they nearly all have to play multiple roles as well as wielding a variety of instruments) gets a rare moment of being alone on stage and showing off her fabulous voice. It was a welcome respite from a cluttered and chaotic production that felt under-rehearsed.

We are aware that the stage at the Theatre Royal is not the most capacious, but producers should be aware of this when a tour is planned and deal with that from the start. I left disappointed but heartened by the fact that in those final moments the company had come together in that final medley of the hits.

Theatre Royal Brighton

21 February

Andrew Kay

[rating: 2/5]