‘Footloose’: Fighting censorship with dance - bonitasprings.floridaweekly.com

The plot of "Footloose" includes a town council that doesn't listen to the community — dancing is outlawed, but teens want to dance. COURTESY PHOTOS

You wouldn't expect a 1998 musical — based on a 1984 movie — to have as much relevance in today's world, but unfortunately, it does.

"Footloose," onstage at the Broadway Palm through July 1, has parallels to the current evil trends of banning freedoms or anything that's fun. Plus, the plot contains a town council made up of members who pretend to listen to the community but have already decided how they're going to vote. They then pass laws based on their own whims, instead of the desires of the people.

In the musical, Ren (Jordan Radis) moves with his mom from Chicago to Bomont, a small farming town, where life is decidedly different from the Windy City.

Ren's surprised when Kurt Vonnegut's classic "Slaughterhouse-Five," which he loves, is called "a vulgar little book."

And he's stunned to discover that dancing within the city limits is illegal.

"It's just the law," someone explains to him.

Ren's a teen. He's just gotta dance — especially with all the cool '80s music playing on the radio or on his Walkman.

Dance and song light up the stage during Broadway Palm's "Footloose," playing through July 1.

The council's decisions are dictated by the Rev. Shaw Moore (Robert Tully), a cadaverous-looking minister whose sermons are more somber declarations than fire-and-brimstone rants. It's playing against type, or perhaps an attempt to make his anti-dance arguments sound more reasonable.

(It's scarier when restrictions and bans are presented in a logical tone, under the guise of protecting children.)

The pastor has a daughter, Ariel (Emily Dunn), who is rebelling against everything her father stands for. And who can blame her?

Ariel has a dimwitted boyfriend, Chuck (Nick Erholm), who mistreats her. She finds herself falling for the new kid in town.

Costume designer John P. White, who dresses the cast in some cool '80s outfits (neon colors, skinny ties and scrunched up sleeves, Vans) puts Ariel in a red top and blue jean shorts with white stars, making her look like a redneck version of Wonder Woman.

 

The musical itself — and thus this production

— is uneven, but the times when it does work, it's terrific, such as Ren and Ariel's duet of "Almost Paradise" and Rusty (Audrey Taylor Floyd) belting out "Let's Hear It for the Boy." Ren and Ariel have great chemistry, and Rusty is a show-stopper.

The musical gets a little heavy handed with its message, and then, swinging to the opposite extreme, a little goofy when it comes to the character of Willard (Zach Greer), an overalls-wearing unsophisticated guy who gets tongue-tied around girls and doesn't know how to dance. But Mr. Greer manages to keep him from becoming too much of a cartoon.

Even if you're not familiar with the movie, the plot is predictable.

But perhaps that's part of its appeal.

Things slow down when the action focuses on the parents, though Jody Smith Harper and Moriel Behar as Ren and Ariel's mothers, respectively, give nuanced performances.

Nancy STETSON

And the action seems a little creepy at the opening of Act II when Cowboy Bob (Steffen Whorton) hits on an underaged girl at a dance in another town.

Bomont is just one big town of "no's," a town where joy and exuberance go to die.

But, like the real-life high schoolers in Fort Wayne, Indiana, who recently put on their own production of "Marian, or the True Tale of Robin Hood" off-campus when their school banned it, these fictional high schoolers of the 1980s figure out a way to have a school dance.

(The musical is based on a true incident that happened in a small Oklahoma town when high schoolers there, contrary to laws, wanted a senior prom.)

Director Amy Marie McCleary, who also choreographed the show, gives us some lively dances.

In fact, when the show opens, the curtain initially only rises knee-high, displaying a variety of anonymous dancing feet.

I would have loved to have seen more exuberance from the dancers, though, especially during "Footloose" at the opening and close of the show. It's a nice theatrical moment, but I don't get the feeling of teens just desperate to dance.

"Footloose" isn't the best-written musical, but it has its fun moments and also some valuable lessons for today's world of book banning and censorship.

Freedom is sweet.

And it's always worth fighting for, whether it's a book, an identity, history or "just" a dance.

You can't get any more American than that. ¦

In the KNOW

"Footloose"

When: through July 1

Where: Broadway Palm, 1380 Colonial Blvd., Fort Myers

Cost: $30-$85

Information: 239-278-4422 or www.BroadwayPalm.com

'Footloose': Fighting censorship with dance - bonitasprings.floridaweekly.com