Jump to content

Footloose Tour 2017 reviews


eternal
 Share

Recommended Posts

The writer of this review (Roger Crowe) feels like he watched a different show to the rest of the auditorium!:o

http://www.on-magazine.co.uk/arts/yorkshire-theatre/footloose-review-york-grand-opera-house-2/

 

Fab review for Gareth from Yorkshire Post

http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/what-s-on/theatre/review-footloose-1-8525168

Review: Footloose STEVE PRATT  
To quote one of the best songs in this stage show based on the 1984 movie ‘Let’s Hear It For The Boy’. The individual in question is Gareth Gates, formerly on The X Factor and now musical theatre star. He has also, the programme notes helpfully inform us, invented a coconut drink which I can’t resist mentioning as it goes by the name of Cuppanut. But I digress. In this tale of religion, love, loss and rock’n’roll he provides the comic relief. It’s unexpected as we think of him as a singer but he proves a real scene-stealer as the simple-minded, bashful Willard. Apart from a lack of brainpower, Willard can’t dance. Mind you, this isn’t such a drawback in the small town of Bomont as dancing is against the law, having been banned following a fatal car crash involving teenagers, drink and drugs. New teenager in town Ren (fleet-footed Joshua Dowen) urges his fellow students to rebel against this crackdown while taking a fancy to the local church minister’s rule-breaking daughter Ariel (Hannah Price)

Director Racky Plews turns this stage version into an actor-musician show with the multi-talented cast playing a variety of instruments on stage instead of having a conventional band. This throws up various delights, not least a roller-skating waitress who uses the horn of her saxophone to collect empty cups. There is energy a-plenty among the young cast although the ‘oldies’ (Reuven Gershon and Maureen Nolan as the spoilsport minister and his wife) finally step out in the finale. But it’s Gates who steals the show, making the most of his revealing moment during the production’s big staging of Bonnie Tyler’s powerhouse song Holding Out For A Hero.




Link to comment
Share on other sites

This is another great review for Gareth

http://www.yorkpress.co.uk/leisure/music/15264691.Review__Footloose__The_Musical__Grand_Opera_House__York__until_Saturday/

CONTRARY to the picture caption in the Grand Opera House brochure, Bradford pop star Gareth Gates is not playing Ren McCormack in Racky Plews’s faithful revival of the 1980s’ musical Footloose.

Relax, Gates is in the show, but not starring as Ren, the newcomer who has blown into Bible Belt Bomont from Chicago, out of step with a town that buckles that Bible belt on the tightest notch, with the town council even banning dancing after four Bomont High pupils perished five years earlier in a car accident.

Instead, Gates is on his second stretch of shows in the comedy role of Willard, the hapless town hick with the permanent matchstick protruding from between his lips. He so enjoyed his debut funny turn in last year’s tour that he snapped up the chance to return.

And he does not so much scene-steal as steal the entire show, whether failing to read the advances of Laura Sillett’s spunky Rusty, stripping off to his toned torso in Holding Out For A Hero or bringing physical humour to the show’s comedy number Mama Says (You Can’t Back Down). The star quality first spotted on the Pop Idol talent show in 2001 is finding full expression here.

Dean Pitchford, Walter Bobbie and Tom Snow’s stage spin-off of the 1984 teen movie demands an exuberant, high-energy performance from start to finish, and Racky Plews’s cast of actor-musicians certainly oblige, to the point of exhaustion at the finale’s resumé of the biggest hits, Footloose, Holding Out For A Hero and Let’s Hear It For The Boy.

The show is light, insubstantial, even a little daft, being a dance-filled musical about not being allowed to dance, but don’t be pedantic. It may feel dated too, but deliberately so, and there is just enough of a sting in the account of stultifying life in the WASP smalltown of Bomont, where the music died five years ago in this quiet Deep American South backwater, or rather the anguished Reverend Shaw Moore (Reuven Gershon) administered the dance ban after losing his son.

Into Bomont from the big city breezes rebellious but clean-living teen Ren (Joshua Dowen) with his mother (Lindsay Goodhand) after his dad leaves them without explanation. Ren innocently breaks every Bomont taboo, complicating matters further by falling for Ariel (Hannah Price), the Reverend’s equally rebellious daughter.

Sillett, Price and Dowen all cut loose impressively, and the cast at large, with multiple requirements to sing, dance and play instruments, pull off love songs and show stoppers with equal aplomb.

Maureen Nolan's Vi Moore and Gershon's Reverend are burdened with a couple of dull songs, but overall let’s hear it for the boys and the girls, and especially for Yorkshire’s own Gareth Gates, who most definitely has found a new comedic string to his bow.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Great review Maria. Thanks.

Love this bit

Special mentions must go to Gareth Gates who absolutely shines in the comedy role of Willard; he has incredible skill as a physical comedian and was a complete standout in this show which I was really happy to see. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Newly taken current photos on this review

https://markaspen.wordpress.com/?ref=spelling

 Gareth Gates puts paid to the pop star cliché of playing the romantic lead by taking on the comedy role of Ren’s friend Willard.  With his deep-south accent, straw hat, dungarees and toothpick he was almost unrecognisable from the gawky Pop Idol I remember and he proves in this production he is more than just a famous face with the cheekiness, charm and excellent comic timing he lends to his role.  His cameo in Holding Out for a Hero also showed off some other new … ahem … assets.

Not sure about the gawky Pop Idol bit:huh:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

I went to see Footloose in Llandudno last night with ValR.

Val drove,we found the theatre and parked in the car park  near the exit ready for a quick get away after the show.The theatre is lovely on the seafront,we were having a coffee in their cafe overlooking the sea when we spotted Gareth on the front with a interview inside of  the "YES" magazine,

After a walk and a meal in Llandudno we went back to the theatre ready for the show.

We enjoyed Footloose much better than last year. The show is about 1/2hour shorter than before a lot of the boring bits have been left out,it starts  with the footloose dance .All the new cast members are better and more believable than last year,preacher, Ren,Cowboys,they seem to get on better blending with the rest of the cast.

Gareth was so good the audience loved him,he played the guitar and the piano a lot more than last year,he is so funny when learning to dance.His voice when singing "Mama says "was strong and beautiful,the applause and cheers when he finished said it all.

There was a standing ovation at the end,Gareth had the loudest cheer when he took his bow.

.We thought the changes that have been made,taking out parts and adding more have made the show a lot more enjoyable,Val said she had a smile all night.

In the Interval  Val heard a group of  women saying that the show would be nothing  if Gareth was'nt in it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Oh thanks so much for letting us know about your visit to Llandudno.

What a great review. Interesting how they have changed the format and lovely to hear what Val overheard the group of women saying.

Made me look forward to seeing it more next week.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...