If you're looking for some quality entertainment this evening, Footloose the Musical may just be up your alley. Based on the 80's film of the same name, the Broadway touring production is celebrating its tenth year, with a stop at Savannah's Mercer Theater tonight beginning at 7:30 p.m.
When the motion picture hit theaters in 1984, chronicling a young Kevin Bacon turning a rural town with a ban on dancing upside down, it soared to the top of the box office charts. The film soundtrack also produced numerous hits with radio staples such as "Almost Paradise", "Holding out for a Hero" and, of course, the title track.
The premise of dancing and music seemed tailor made for the stage. In 1998, Footloose the Musical finally hit Broadway and was an immediate box office smash. Critics gave the nod as well, anointing it with several Tony Awards and perhaps paving the way for a successful decade, including an off-Broadway tour of the same show.
Stage actor Michael Kennan Miller plays the character Willard, the sidekick to the main character that Miller describes as “a goofy country bumpkin with a short temper who doesn’t know how to dance.” Miller said the play is full of “great music and a great storyline that reaches out to every generation. Every night, I look out into the audience and see people of all ages.”
He attributed much of the broad appeal to the fact that the play is set to rock music, “which gives the show more of an edge.” Miller said all the hit music from the movie is included in the play, and it is performed by a live band with the actors performing the vocals.
“If you’re looking for entertainment, that’s definitely what you’ll get from Footloose the Musical,” Miller said. “We’ve been getting a huge response from audiences every night of the tour. And, believe it or not, it’s just as fun for the actors as well.”
The show is playing one night only – tonight, Feb. 18, at 7:30 p.m. Tickets, which range from $30-$50, are available at the box office, online at www.savannahcivic.com or charged by phone at 651-6556.