Broadway's Footloose

I was able to get my hands on some discounted tickets to see the Broadway show Footloose at the Kennedy Center. Of course I had seen the movie starring Kevin Bacon; it's a classic, which is why I refused to watch the remake. But seeing it live is a whole other story.

While the show was billed as "Broadway Center Stage," it isn't actually a Broadway cast, or at least not the pros. Most of the performers were pretty young, which makes me think this is an amateur or "minor-league" company of sorts. The dancing was better than the singing, but of course the show had its moments.

The orchestra was on stage the whole time on risers, so they were above the actors. The rest of the set was easily transformed by metal benches which could be seats, tables, lockers, pews, etc. as the cast moved them about from scene to scene. The image in the background would change depending on the setting, but because of the metal risers, you could only see the top part of the picture. But I'm a fan of minimalist sets, and this one did the trick.

J. Quinton Johnson was a funnier, less brooding Ren compared to Kevin Bacon's. Image found here.

I was impressed with the main actors. J. Quinton Johnson as Ren had great energy and charisma, and Isabelle McCalla as Ariel was definitely a firecracker. I also thought Nicole Vanessa Ortiz as Rusty was fun, too (I just realized she was an American Idol finalist.).

During the song "Somebody's Eyes," the cast held tiny lights to mimic eyes, which I thought was unique.

I particularly enjoyed the "I Need a Hero" number, although this video doesn't do it justice:

I had forgotten that song was in this show, as well as "Almost Paradise" and "The Girl Gets Around." Such good music! Some songs were added to the show which were sub-par, but the classics made up for it.

The show was well-paced and it held my attention the whole time (which is hard for me at nighttime). I definitely enjoyed it, but I'm glad I could get some discounted tickets, since these performers aren't quite the real deal (yet!).

Here's the review from DC Theatre Scene in case you're interested!