If you need a hero, the Marquis Players’ production of “Footloose: The Musical” is here to save the day. Full of blissful songs and energetic choreography, “Footloose: The Musical” intends to delight audiences of all ages.
Set in a small, conservative town where dancing is outlawed after a tragedy that claimed the lives of four teenagers leaving a dance, protagonist Ren McCormack, played by Cormac Hurley ’24, attempts to reinstate dancing and turn grief into expressive happiness.
“I think it tells a really important message about choosing joy and connections over anger and separation,” director Kate Bettez ’23 said.
Backdropped by a live student orchestra, the Marquis Players dazzle in the production, belting and dancing every beat, even when it’s outlawed. Full of laughter as well as drama, “Footloose: The Musical” is constantly capturing its audience with choreography involving rollerskating and captivating stage direction. Numbers such as “Holding Out for a Hero” are mesmerizing visually and vocally, while slower ballads such as “Learning to Be Silent” are poignant and full of beautiful harmonies.
Every actor, whether they play a leading or supporting role, shines. Hurley’s leading performance as Ren is attention-grabbing, as is Maddie Kollar ’23 as Ariel, a preacher’s daughter with a rebellious streak who longs to leave her small town.
Comedic performances by Matthew White ’23 as cowboy Willard Hewitt and Meredith Forman ’24 as Ariel’s close friend Rusty are just as magnetic. Darker performances such as Bobby McClosky ’26, who plays villainous bad boy Chuck Cranston, are dramatic highlights in the production; despite the comedy that is woven throughout, McClosky’s presence is delightfully brooding.
In every serious scene, there is a moment of laughter to be found shortly after, and the production does a masterful job of balancing the more sensitive moments of the show with the lighter ones. The Marquis Players capture the rebellious natures of their characters in every scene, adding a relatable touch to even the most unrelatable characters.
Bettez is extremely proud of the cast and crew’s work.
“I’m honestly most proud of everyone on the team because it truly would not have happened without everyone putting in so much — so many hours in, so much time. So just watching people kill it in their respective areas is really nice,” Bettez said.
The show will be running tonight at 7:15 p.m. and Saturday at 2:00 p.m. Information about tickets can be found on the ticket office website at lafayette.universitytickets.com.
