PRESENTATION/SETTING by Charlie Rowlands, Jack Tosney, Kalila Suckley,

Brett Chandra, Steve Leggett, Carly Bond & Spirolux Ltd

I thought the overall concept of this setting was excellent, a simple bare playing area with elevated platforms up stage gave the director multiple options for the blocking of this piece. It provided the central position of power essential in helping to establish the status of Shaw Moore.

Clearly the set pieces were designed and produced by professional outfits, but the trucks etc. were well placed and well used by the team. I loved the staging around the booth in the Burger Blast scene.

This simple design concept was perfect for keeping the action moving from location to location with the minimal amount of time spent on scene changes. This is essential in a piece that flits around in terms of location – a challenge that is born from its cinematic origins – the team, cast & crew, did a stirling job in achieving the changes in double quick time.

Well done to all.

Lighting & Sound by James Hartland, Steve Clarke, Follow spot team, Chris

Horseman & Peter Larter-Stow

Wow – this was a busy lighting plot! Full of great effects and transitions. All of which were well timed with a sensitive hand on the faders (an out of date expression I know, but you know what I mean). There was only one moment where I thought the light disappeared too quickly – when Chuck is seen watching Ren & Ariel – we needed a second or two more to understand the implication of what we were seeing. Generally though, the effects were very effective I loved the train passing.

The sound throughout the show was beautifully balanced. All effects were on cue – what more could you ask for. The sound operators did an excellent job with the head mics, not once did the band overpower the vocal, very well done.

From the programme I see that professionals were involved in these disciplines, so you would expect them to be good, but expectation does not always match performance, on this occasion it did.

Musical Direction by Brendan Casey

Well done to Brendan and his excellent 7 piece band. You have handled this score very well indeed. The band were tight and zippy with an excellent feel for accompaniment – so important in musical theatre. The keys over the Ren & Shaw scene was perfect. Brendan, the most impressive aspect of this show for me was the beautiful blending of voices, not just harmonically but in terms of dynamic/modulation. The work that must have gone into achieving such a fantastic blending of vocal & music was well worth the effort. I thought the Vi, Ariel & Ethel number was one of the best things I’ve heard an stage for quite some time. Excellent work!

Costume design by Carly Bond

What a busy lady you are Carly, I thought your design concept was great. There were many touches of the 1980s but there was also a feel for the 1950s which I think is perfect. This show, although set in the early 1980s has such a feel of the 1950s about it - The whole youth rebellion against the patriarchy of parents born in the 1930s and the birth of Rock n Roll thing going on. In many ways Footloose is an old fashioned musical. There was one moment of doubt put in my head, when Shaw reaches into his robe pocket for a mobile phone. Although mobiles were around then, they were the size of a car battery, a tiny moment that didn’t detract from my enjoyment of the way this show was dressed. Well done.

Choreography by Charlotte Armitage

Well done Charlotte, you created some lovely dance numbers. I very much enjoyed the synchronised movement in the opening number. I never felt that any of the choreography was beyond the capabilities of the cast, which is great! Either you kept the moves within their comfort zone or you drilled them until it was all second nature. Clearly you have some talented dancers to work with and I have to say how great it was to see men dancing as competently as the ladies. You should be proud of your work.

Direction by Carly Bond

There was much to like in your production, Carly. I thought you did very well in creating interesting stage pictures. Your blocking was effective and you made good use of the space your designers provided. I particularly liked the sermons being delivered from the raised platform up centre. It was right that the congregation had their backs to us. The focus for them and us is Shaw and the content of his sermon. I thought the pace was kept moving very well with your handling of the trucks etc.

I do think you could detach yourself a little more during rehearsals to appraise what is going on, from the perspective of someone watching a scene for the first time. There were times when Rob could have been a little less ‘deliberate’ in his delivery and Freddie needed to be asked ‘where is the comedy coming from? What motivates that action or choice of words? Is it organic or are you adding that movement because you think it’s funny? Actors rely on directors to be the eyes & ears of the audience, sometimes they need help to assess the ‘truth’ of the performance they are delivering. I think as you develop as a director you should try to nurture this skill of detaching yourself from the emotion of rehearsal and searching for the truth of the scene/character will become second nature and will result in obtaining more grounded performances from your actors.

That being said, I thought you handled some of the intimate scenes extremely well, the Ren/Ariel scene on the bridge and the Ren/Shaw scene when the true meaning of Footloose is revealed, being two examples. Well done.

Ren McCormack played by James Price

Well done James, I thought you handled this role very well. I would like you to think about your physicality a little bit. There is a noticeable tension in your upper body, you have very tight shoulders and neck. During your warm-up routine I think this is an area on which you should concentrate. I have to say you have a great voice and you dance very well. It is central to the engagement of the audience in this piece that they believe Ren’s love of dance and that he dances well. Your audience at the performance I saw definitely could engage in that fiction. Where I thought you were most successful with the character was in the intimate scenes. I really liked the slow development of your relationship with Ariel culminating in the bridge scene and the first kiss. That was really very well handled. The address to the town council is not an easy scene and I thought you delivered the ‘bible’ speech very well. I really got caught up in the scene with Shaw where ‘loss’ is discussed, I could see your thoughts and I believed the pain you were both going through.

Well done James.

Ethel McCormack played by Rachel Taylor

Gosh Rachel, what a wise woman Ethel is! I bang on about the truth of a performance all the time, but truth really is key to an audience engaging with the fiction in front of them. Your audience had no difficulty engaging with Ethel, you gave her the perfect sense of devoted motherhood tinged with the hurt of her husband’s leaving. This was a well rounded characterisation and topped off with a gloriously beautiful voice. The number you sang with Vi and Ariel will live with me for a long time thank you.

Rev Shaw Moore played by Rob Ridd

Rob, I really enjoyed what you did on stage. I thought your characterisation was beautifully rounded and truthful. I could see the thought process that was informing the dialogue which again brings me back to truth. I could feel the struggle that was going on internally and I felt for Shaw. An actor can only gain sympathy for their character, if the audience believe the character is worthy of that sympathy; and the character will only be worthy if their situation is believable (look up ‘Aristotle on Art’). Shaw had my sympathy, so I must have believed his struggle!

I must also credit you for your diction Rob, we never lost a word of your dialogue or lyrics. I would like you to think a little bit about the pace of a scene, there was an occasion or two when your deliberation over your response was just a little stretched. Keep to the truth – avoid manufacturing thoughts for effect. Your final sermon was extremely well delivered. It could so easily have become cloying, but what you gave us was full of humility, we believed it was delivered from the heart and therefore it was all the more moving, very well done Rob.

Vi Moore played by Becky Hennessey

My goodness Becky, I have fallen in love with your voice. What a gorgeous tone you have and your handling of vocal dynamic was sublime. I absolutely loved the number with Ariel and Ethel. You thought your way through the lyric, which is strangely seldom done, but vital in my opinion. My comments to Rob regarding truth in a characterisation are equally applicable to you. Such a sensible woman in such a difficult situation, her heart has been broken by the loss of a son and now she is losing her husband and potentially her daughter. Our hearts went out to her and that is a credit to your performance. Great!

Ariel Moore played by Bethan Hughes

Thank you for your performance Bethan. I liked the way you showed Ariel’s rebellious side but also her sense of fun, your teasing of Ren was very believable and I agree with the other girls – quite flirtatious. This is just what we need to see in Ariel. I also believed her internal struggle, trying to reconcile the father she knew with the father that Shaw has become. I have mentioned it to the other two, so I will mention it here again, the trio with Ariel, Vi & Ethel was indeed a thing of beauty; such glorious voices and modulation. I really enjoyed watching the developing relationship with Ren, it was a slow build and all the more sweet for it. The audience need Ren & Ariel to find consolation for the loss they have suffered – credit to you both that the need was there! Going back to what I said earlier an audience need to feel a character is worthy of their empathy or sympathy, if they aren’t, that audience emotion won’t materialise. Well done.

Lulu & Wes Warnicker played by Jenny Bryant & Dan O’Hare

I think these two characters are a tad under-written, there is little opportunity to show real character development, but what you were given to do, you did effectively. I certainly believed your anger Dan.

Coach & Eleanor Dunbar played by Alex Milner & Anna Sutton

Another couple who are not given too much to do, particularly your character Anna, but like Jenny and Dan, what you did was all that was required. Alex you were suitably bully-like and cowed under the influence of Shaw. I think you could have gone a little further in developing the idea that Coach takes out his inadequacies on his pupils.

Willard Hewitt played by Freddie Williams

Playing a character like Willard can be a very difficult challenge, what at first glance is seen as hilarity must also be played against the darker side of his character. Willard is socially inept, awkward in his physicality, cowed by a domineering mother but also quick to temper & violence. I feel that your performance was centred on the ‘funny’ and would have been more rounded had these darker elements been further developed. For comedy to be effective it MUST be born of reality, comic moments must have a basis in truth; they must emerge as an organic result of the thought process. They must never be an artificial ‘add-on’ because an idea seems funny. I’m not going to give specific examples of what I mean. I would prefer that you consider those comic moments and question – what was the motivation at that point? Was the comic moment/movement the result of a real thought process? As with sympathy and empathy, an audience will only laugh with abandon if they feel the truth of the situation.

Freddie, there were parts of your performance that I really enjoyed – I thought your main number ‘Mama Says’ was excellently performed. I felt that your awkward physicality at the beginning of the show was just right and the friendship with Ren was sincere.

Rusty played by Emma May Jones

Well done Emma May, this was an energetic exuberant performance of a big personality. Your big moments were very well handled – ‘Lets hear it for the boy’ full of gusto and a great voice. But I liked the way you maintained character throughout the piece, a lovely little moment I noticed was your press-ups (non press-ups) in the gym – perfectly in character, well done.

Urleen played by Ellie Hall

Well done Ellie, you three girls worked so well together as a team. Your performance was full of energy and excitement. You have a very sweet voice and looked extremely comfortable on the stage, well done.

Wendy Jo played by Annie Davies

Annie, as with the other girls you were full of enthusiasm and energy and you developed a lovely character. But I have to say where you excelled was as a dancer. Every movement was completed to its fullest extent and every movement had a resistance to it. You were a joy to watch.

Chuck Cranston played by Dom Callaghan

Dom, playing the bad guy can be a bit of a poisoned chalice. You want to be successful in your characterisation but if you are, you’re not liked by the audience, some actors can never ply the bad guy because they can’t bear to be ‘not liked’. Never let this worry you, some of the best characters out there are very dislikeable. I thought you had a good go at the overbearing boyfriend, particularly in the Burger Blast scene. I just thought you could have gone a little further, likewise, I think you could have developed the needy side of Chuck a bit more. How many calls has he made to the Shaw house? How often has he turned up late at night? If the audience can see his desperation they may develop some sympathy for him. They still won’t like him though. But well done.

Lyle, Travis, Jeter played by Gregg Morris, Ewan Poole-Gleed & Tom Carron

More underwritten characters here but you all added to the overall feeling of the piece. I must say I thought you boys danced extremely well. It makes such a difference watching men who are comfortable dancing, so often in amateur companies the guys are there to make up the numbers. Definitely not in this case. Well done to you all

Principal Clark/Betty Blast played by Laura Davies

Laura I thought you did very well as both of these characters and the skates were managed, although I must say you didn’t look totally comfortable. I thought you showed the status of Principal Clark very well.

Cowboy Bob played by Robert Hardacre

Robert, one number and you did it proud. Full of energy and enthusiasm. I thought you could have been even oilier in the chatting up of Rusty, but well done.

The Ensemble

The Ensemble are essential to a show like this. It is through the characters presented by the ensemble company that the audience develop a sense of ‘place’. These are the people that inhabit Bomont and they have to give a flavour of the town into which Ren has moved. You all did that so well. I loved your energy and obvious enjoyment in this show, well done every one of you.

Thank you so much for your welcome and hospitality and I REALLY look

forward to seeing BAOS again in the near future.

Mike Clark

Footloose is a 1998 musical based on the 1984 film of the same name. It follows the story of Ren McCormack, a teenager who moves with his mother to a small, religious town where music and dancing are banned. Ren’s and his new friends try to overturn the town councils’ rules and trying to convince them that dancing is not a crime. As well as trying to battle the ban on dance Ren falls in love with the ministers’ equally rebellious daughter Ariel.

The set designed by Director Carly Bond was well thought out and consisted of industrial scaffolding providing a raised area across the back with two sets of stairs with an extended thrust either side, providing multiple levels which were used well throughout. All scene changes were mainly done by cast members bringing on simple flats on trucks and stage decoration which kept the speed up between scenes. The lighting design worked well throughout and complemented the action on stage. There were odd moments where mics were cued a little late, meaning we missed the start of dialogue in some scenes, but it did not impact the overall performance.

The music in Footloose was a real blast from my childhood an incredible 80’s soundtrack and the band ably led by Musial Director Brendan Casey expertly performed the classic tracks with some great energy for the cast. There were however some moments when the band overpowered the dialogue, particularly at the start of scenes and during some of the under scoring.

In my opinion Footloose is all about the dancing and the choreography by Charlotte Armitage was great, well-pitched for all abilities, in the style of the show and well performed with conviction and lots of energy from the cast.

I did feel that maybe we lost a little bit of the 80’s feel with the costume design, I feel more could have been made of the 80’s fashion/make up.

In reviewing the principal performances:

Ren McCormack (James Price) this is a real triple threat role, and you brought lots of energy and personality to it, well done you really captured Ren's determination to shake things up in the small town of Bomont.

Ariel Moore (Bethan Hughes) a lovely confident performance with some strong vocals. Lovely to see people progressing for the youth groups to the adult group.

Rev.Shaw Moore (Rob Ridd) a difficult role, well managed with some lovely vocals.

Vi Moore (Becky Hennessey) I really enjoyed your portrayal of this character, clearly sympathetic to Ariel’s feelings whilst trying to support your husband. I really enjoyed “Can You Find It In Your Heart”

Ethel McCormack (Rachel Taylor) another strong performance you brought a lovely sincere warmth to the role.

Willard Hewitt (Freddie Williams) a charming performance, really enjoyed “Mamma Says.”

Chuck Cranston (Dom Callaghan) a suitably unlikeable character.

Rusty (Emma May-Jones), Wendy-Jo (Annie Davies) and Urleen ( Ellie Hall) All three gave their individual characters life whilst still working really well as a trio, with good stage presence, and comic timing; they provided us with some great vocal moments, “Somebody’s Eyes” and “Holding out For A Hero” were highlights for me.

The ensemble demonstrated lots of energy and commitment, supporting the principal cast throughout with some quality vocals, harmonies, and dancing/movement on display. I particularly enjoyed “On Any Sunday” and of course the title song “Footloose” You all looked as though you were having a fun time.

Thank you for a great evening of entertainment and to Tina for looking after us so well. 

PLEASE NOTE:

Any observation made by the reviewer can only be based on what he sees at the performance in question.  The reviewer may have received information in advance of the performance, and it is inevitable that his assessment will be effected by that knowledge.

The N.O.D.A. Representative’s intention is to give an objective critique of the overall production and in particular the performance viewed.  It should be remembered that any review of this nature can only be objective as far as the techniques used during the performance observed.  Any criticisms expressed may not have been valid at other performances, and are only made to encourage higher standards in Amateur Theatre.

It is hoped that the audience’s appreciation of your efforts will have given everyone a lift and encouraged you to greater achievements in the future and that the observations made by the reviewer will prove helpful in improving future productions.