By Mavrie Durham
The stage production of the 1984 film, made famous for its soundtrack and emerging star-quality cast, opened up last weekend at the Renton Civic Theater (RCT) to a nearly packed house and joyful crowd.
The rock-and-roll classic about healing with community brought our own community together as local artists, from King County high schoolers to longtime musicians, performed for a charmed audience.
The story follows Chicago teen Ren McCormack, portrayed by a new addition to the PNW, Julio Ulloa Jr, as he processes the abandonment of his father. Ren and his mother, Ethel (Michele Greenwood Bettinger), are left with no choice but to move to the rural town of Bomont, where dancing has been outlawed following the tragic car accident that resulted in the deaths of four Bomont-teens who were on their way home from a dance a few years prior.
From his years in the clubs of Chicago, Ren has used dance as an expression of joy. In his new home, it chafes against the avoidance of small town, conservative America. Ulloa Jr. brought charm and enthusiasm to the role of a rebel outsider in a convincing display of the hero Ariel Moore (Ella Tennant Swensons) sings for in “Holding Out for a Hero”.
As the town walls themselves off against their loss, it also blocks out their joy. Ren recognizes the pain, and, with the help of friends, engages in a long-term American tradition: protest against weaponized and misguided religion.
This long-term denial of grief comes out as abuse, a specific elephant in the play whose resolution felt limited due to the forum. In a beat-by-beat story, there’s restrictions on a musical’s ability to slow down and tug at each individual heartstring, both good and bad. The production felt humorous and joyful, which lifted us up with hits like “Still Rockin” and “Let’s Hear it for the Boy”, though the script overlooks some of the more somber parts of the story; the abuse and silencing of women, for instance.
The uproarious standout performances of Sydney Belden as Rusty, whose humor, timing, and vocal ability shined every time she was onstage, and Mykahla George as Willard Hewitt, who nailed the emotional journey of our bumbling cowboy, carried the energy of the play for the entire opening night run.
The connection between Russell Mathews as Revered Shaw Moore and Noel Pederson as Vi Moore stood out as the two not only acted their parts, but reacted to each other, giving the emotional family dynamic a stronger delivery.
A major strength in RTC’s production was its musical direction. The musical trio of Rusty, Urleen (Sonja Rose Usher), and Wendy Jo (Amelia Dooley) were a continuous source of admiration from beginning to end.
The show closed out to a standing ovation full of friends, families, and teachers. In an American moment where community is stripped away – whether that be by corporations, politicians, or technology – productions like the RTC’s “Footloose” remind us of the power of coming together for our youth.
The story of “Footloose” is based on the real story of Elmore City, Oklahoma who had outlawed dancing at its founding in 1898, long before the genre of ‘rock and roll’ surfaced as radio hits. The law was rescinded nearly a century later, in 1980, drawing national news attention as the town’s high school held its first prom.
Songwriter Dean Pitchford read a short article about Elmore City that year, which inspired him to write his first screenplay for “Footloose”.
The original 1984 film was made famous for its iconic rock-and-roll soundtrack and starsetting cast, and soon after its initial release was adapted for Broadway in 1998 with a slightly different soundtrack and the dance steps of other running shows at the time. It was remade for a modern movie audience in 2011.
Tickets
The RCT run of “Footloose” takes place Thursdays through Saturdays at 7:30 p.m., and Sundays at 2 p.m., through June 21. Industry night takes place Monday, June 15 at 7:30 p.m.
For more information and ticket purchases, visit the Renton Civic Theater website here.
Sonya Rose Usher, Sydney Belden, and Amelia Dooley belted out a a consistently excellent performance, opening the show in a Chicago nightclub and closing out at Bomont’s first high school dance.
Photos courtesy Colin Madison Photography.
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