Review: FOOTLOOSE at BDT Stage

It takes a special kind of movie to be converted into a stage musical. Luckily for Footloose, with a dance-centric plot serenaded by some rad '80s tunes, it's got something to work with.

Footloose The Musical has managed to hold its own for nearly two decades following its 1998 Broadway premiere. Now playing at BDT Stage in Boulder, the nostalgia is strong, and so is the cast.

If you don't know the story, a guy named Ren (Jean-Luc Cavnar) from Chicago is dragged by his newly single mother (Joanie Brosseau) to a small town in Texas, where dancing happens to be illegal. The whole town hates him because he's new or they think he's a rebel or something, yet he befriends Willard (Alejandro Roldan), the local most-hick who loves fightin' and his mama.

The preacher's daughter, Ariel (an appropriately feisty Seles VanHuss) is totally a rebel and tries to prove it by dating the local douchebag, Chuck (Jon Tyler Heath), and wearing loud red boots. Her trio of belty friends Rusty (Satya Jnani Chavez), Urleen (Bussy Gower) and Wendy Jo (Melissa Morris) hang around and sing the best numbers in the show. Ariel is totally into Ren, too. This makes things a little more complicated because Ren is trying to convince Ariel's father, Reverend Shaw (Brian Burron) and his wife, Vi (Alicia King), along with apparently every adult in town that dancing shouldn't be a crime. (It's a crime because some drunk kids drove off a bridge once.) You get the idea, right?

What makes Footloose engaging is what they ripped out of the killer '80s soundtrack, especially the essential Kenny Loggins jams. You get the title number right off the bat and "I'm Free" is a solid Act 1 closer. "Holding Out For A Hero" is effervescently executed like a music video. "Let's Hear It For The Boy" is bouncy and belty in the best ways. "Almost Paradise" is exactly that. "Somebody's Eyes" (your first taste of that enchanting bestie trio) is a perfect fit for the show's campy nature.

A few songs written for the show, like Willard's "Mama Says" (rifftastically sung by Roldan) Cowboy Bob's "Still Rockin'" (featuring Scott Severtson) are endearing but just don't pack a punch like the soundtrack songs.

But then there are those songs they threw in for the emotional depth. While Burron made Rev. Shaw emotionally complex and developed, there's something about the ballads he's given that can't be saved. Mainly the adult songs in the show are just boring no matter how well the actors sing them. (Even though they nailed them, btw.) Even Ren has to attempt a rap years before Lin-Manuel showed us how it should be done.

Cavnar played Ren with a boy-next-door attitude, bringing the role back to the ground when he could be a caricature. He had the moves for it, and his smooth vocals paired nicely. VanHuss gave Ariel the defiant sass she needed while pulling it back for those real moments. As Rusty, Chavez owned her moments and frequently stood out among the cast, but she needed to pull it back sometimes. If I haven't said it enough, the trio of Chavez, Morris and Gower were dynamos, both together and in their own right. Roldan's Willard was aptly a goofball. Actually, the entire ensemble brought an exciting energy to the show.

An energy skillfully expelled through choreography by Director Matthew Peters, who pulls triple duty as a cast member. It was fun and engaging, even though sometimes it seemed a little phoned in. (This show's been running since May, so I get it.) But Peters understood precisely what this show needed.

And that's what Footloose The Musical gives you...exactly what you need. It may not be the smartest book, but I wasn't there for an engaging plot about the dangers of dancing. I wanted fierce moves and fiercer vocals, and that's what they're serving at this dinner theatre. The cheesecake was pretty awesome, too.

Footloose The Musical plays BDT Stage in Boulder through Sept. 3. Tickets are available at BDTStage.com or by calling (303)449-6000. BDT Stage is a dinner theatre, so dinner is included with the ticket price and served by actors performing in the show. (So tip them well.)