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Dance

REVIEW Northern Ballet: The Great Gatsby, New Theatre by Barbara Hughes-Moore

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Hailed as ‘The Great American Novel’, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby is an iconic tale of decadence, death and desire. It epitomized the feel of the Roaring Twenties like nothing else: an era of flappers, libertines and bright young things, where ‘anything goes’ wasn’t just a phrase but a state of mind. The story continues to captivate nearly a hundred years since its publication and Northern Ballet’s thrilling take on the tale is bolder and more beautiful than ever – no wonder that it’s returns for its third smash-hit tour, which graces the New Theatre this week for five nights of dazzling decadence.

Abigail Prudames and Joseph Taylor (photo credit: Caroline Holden)

Long Island, 1922. New-in-town Nick Carraway (Sean Bates) strikes up a friendship with his affluent and enigmatic neighbour, Jay Gatsby (Joseph Taylor). Gatsby’s lavish parties are legend – but Gatsby seems interested only in the green light across the Bay, to which he stretches out his arm night after night: the light on the dock belonging to his true love, Daisy (Abigail Prudames). With Gatsby gunning to win her back, Daisy’s marriage to the brutish Tom Buchanan (Lorenzo Trossello) is about to be tested when his affair with the socially ambitious Myrtle (Minju Kang) takes a dangerous new turn.

Northern Ballet dancers in The Great Gatsby (photo credit: Emily Nuttall)

Directed, designed and choreographed by David Nixon OBE, the show is a visual splendour from start to finish. It’s no surprise that Nixon was nominated for a UK Theatre Award and a National Dance Award for his work here: the stunning choreography and gorgeous costumes immerse you in the Jazz Age, taking you on a whistlestop tour through Gatsby’s world. Coupled with Jérôme Kaplan’s striking Art Deco-inspired sets and the sumptuous score by Sir Richard Rodney Bennett CBE, played live by Northern Ballet Sinfonia, and you have a production that’s a feast for the senses.

Minju Kang (photo credit: Emma Kauldhar)

The ensemble is nothing short of perfection, bringing heart, soul and a jaw-dropping athleticism and grace. They convey a frenetic joy in the champagne-swilling speakeasies and sensual longing in every pas de deux. Heather Lehan oozes aloofness as socialite Jordan Baker, an effective foil to Bates’ nice-guy Nick. Minju Kang’s solos are a highlight, and the show soars whenever she shares the stage with Riku Ito (as her husband, George) and Trossello.

Abigail Prudames and Joseph Taylor (photo credit: Caroline Holden)

Taylor and Prudames are captivating as the doomed lovers at the story’s heart: they dance often in front of a wall of mirrors, but their reflections are distorted – just as their images of each other are – and they even mirror the movements of their younger selves, who dance behind them like echoes of the past.

Northern Ballet dancers in The Great Gatsby (photo credit: Emma Kauldhar)

Anyone who enjoys the themed weeks on Strictly Come Dancing will find a special joy in watching the show’s balletic spin on Charlestons and tangos, and flashbacks to Gatsby’s shady past are brilliantly conveyed through a phalanx of fedora-wearing crooks. Northern Ballet have captured every facet of the era’s excess, every lost love and lost chance: most of all, they have captured a sense of old-fashioned Hollywood glamour that you just don’t see these days. In their hands, Gatsby isn’t just great – it’s magnificent.

Northern Ballet: The Great Gatsby is at the New Theatre Cardiff from Tuesday 7 – Saturday 11 June

Review by
Barbara Hughes-Moore

Get the Chance supports volunteer critics like Barbara to access a world of cultural provision. We receive no ongoing, external funding. If you can support our work please donate here thanks.

Literature, Podcast

Review: Conversations With People Who Hate Me by Dylan Marron, By Sian Thomas

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Four stars

I remember when this podcast went live, boosted somewhere into my online feed because I had been a fan of Welcome to Night Vale, even as I felt it slipping from my grasp of enjoyment (it’s back now).

“Conversations With People Who Hate Me” is a podcast initially beginning with Dylan Marron, the creator, reaching out to people who have left him mean comments on his online work. They discuss the comment, among other things, and while not strictly having to come to some ample, satisfactory conclusion, usually both parties leave the table feeling different to how they sat down at it. It would later evolve into Dylan moderating a conversation between two people – one whose work or art piece or the like received a mean comment, and the person who left it.

I thought this was an interesting idea when it first came out back in 2017, mostly because I’d seen nothing like it outside of thinking back to when you’d get taught as a kid to “be nice”, or “not get angry” that kind of thing, that parents kind of do: “Remember to share!” when they’re, I don’t know, in the kitchen, and not watching you not share. “Just talk!” felt like impractical advice, I wasn’t sure how it would help, if it even could. But I remember listening to a few episodes before I fell off of podcasts entirely, (not for any particular reason, I think it would mostly down to this itch in my brain that told me if I’m listening to people speak then I have to listen and I found myself unable to do anything else if I had a podcast on, and I must not have been getting enough A-Level revision done as a result) listening to the back and fore of a conversation that would definitely frustrate me, but I found Dylan was navigating well. It wasn’t something I could have done. I’m not certain it is now, five years on.

The book was quite a lot about how the podcast came to be, and what was learned during its creation process. Which is fine, truthfully, I wasn’t sure it would be about anything else since the book and the podcast shared the same name. There is a tale woven within it about what the internet is and what it could be – how it effects us and the kinds of things, good and bad, it can lead us to doing or feeling. I enjoyed seeing the depth of something I had liked and then lost hold of years ago, re-entering my vision in a way that contextualised and solved what probably caused me to drop it in the first place. I don’t think I was ready to have the kinds of conversations Dylan was having then, and while I’m not convinced I am now, either, one thing I found dazzlingly soothing was the understanding of the “Everything Storm”. The “Everything Storm” is kind of how it sounds: everything is happening all the time, all at once, and if you can’t keep up, someone on the internet definitely thinks you suck. I never realised this was what was causing my own version of an internet fatigue, but on reading Dylan’s detailing of his own (even as it was attributed to discussions he was having and manifesting as different emotions and actions for him), I was like, oh man, this is it. This is what pushed me to the private twitter with all of my ten highly vetted followers, what made me rest my phone face down. It was nice to put a name to that weird feeling of guilt when something happens and all I can think when I look at it was, “Oh no. Not now. Please.”

This was definitely a feature of the book I really enjoyed, the detailing of the arcs of a conversation, serving you pieces you can recognise and take away with you, the smallest of navigation tips to assure your nerves if you ever take on the kind of conversations Dylan does.

The book is delightfully written, reading like a winding story while instilling a genuine lesson. I don’t often read non-fiction, but when I do I find I prefer it to feel almost personal. I enjoyed this deep dive into the very back of Dylan Marron’s mind: what lead to the podcast and the further book, and all the nuances of creation that came both before, and during, this chapter of his life. I can see why it would have been difficult to write, after learning it was supposed to release in mid 2020, not the first half of 2022. The deliberation of what may come of these “pieces” – the consequences to all of Dylan’s actions, in a way -was purposeful and honest. Which is refreshing to see in world tearing itself apart wondering who the main character of the day is, and how exactly then can get got.

I think Dylan Marron is the kind of person you either quietly follow through the years, even if you’re not aware that you are (which is the category I fall into: I heard of him through his work on Welcome to Night Vale, and found myself coming back to his page every so often to see what, if anything, had changed), or, one day, you happen upon him by accident entirely. For a long time he was just “that voice on that show I used to listen to”, but I realise now Dylan is much more and has been doing much, much more than that. I get the feeling that this is something of a memoir rather than a self-help-essay-type of book like Good Vibes Good Life by Vex King, which I really, really like. It feels real and honest; genuine and undoubtfully true. It has a similar kind of vibe to Elizabeth Gilbert’s Big Magic – a snippet of a wide, three-dimensional life, and how it made an unfathomably large ripple across the rest of that person’s days.

It was a fantastic read. I don’t know that I would recommend it to everyone, but I think it’s one of those books where if you look into it yourself and think yeah, I can get behind this, then do.

Sian Thomas
Dance

PREVIEW Northern Ballet: The Great Gatsby at the New Theatre, Cardiff

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Abigail Prudames and Joseph Taylor (photo credit: Caroline Holden)

You are cordially invited to the most fabulous party in town. Northern Ballet, the UK’s widest touring ballet company, is renowned for its innovative, iconic reimaginings of classic tales – Cleopatra, Beauty and the Beast, and Jane Eyre to name but a few – and now their sensational production of The Great Gatsby, which opens in Cardiff this week, is bringing the glitz and glamour of 1920s New York to our shores.

Filippo Di Vilio, George Liang, Gavin McCaig (photo credit: Emma Kauldhar)

F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby is a tale of decadence and deceit, of envy and excess. The titular ‘Great’ Gatsby is a self-made millionaire with a mysterious past and a long-unfulfilled love in the shape of the mercurial (and very married) Daisy Buchanan. The fallout of this doomed romance threatens the lives and livelihoods of everyone who calls West Egg home.

Minju Kang (photo credit: Emma Kauldhar)

Choreographed, designed and directed by David Nixon OBE, Northern Ballet’s take on ‘The Great American Novel’ promises to be a night of visual splendour and breathtaking skill, where dancers glide across the floor in sumptuous Chanel-inspired couture to a sweeping score by Sir Richard Rodney Bennett CBE (Four Weddings and a Funeral, Murder on the Orient Express).

Northern Ballet dancers in The Great Gatsby (photo credit: Emily Nuttall)

Whether you’re an old sport or a bright young thing, you’ll be sure to lose yourself in this lavish tale of love and luxury.

Northern Ballet: The Great Gatsby is at the New Theatre Cardiff from Tuesday 7 – Saturday 11 June

Music

Review Catrin Finch & Seckou Keita St David’s Hall by James Ellis

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Photo Credit: Mark Allen
out of 5 stars (3 / 5)

One of the fond memories of the brief window of live performance in 2020 was Catrin Finch with the Columbian band Cimarrón. Welsh harpist Catrin seems to hold the whole world in her hands, with a versatility in essentially any genre of music. Knowing her from classical circles, her time with Cimmarrón made for a sizzling and dazzling concert, something I haven’t forgotten in a hurry.

A duet with Seckou Keita from Senegal is another giant leap in taste and mileage. Keita, who plays the kora (a large string instrument made from a giant root vegetable) beams for most of the night, his vibrant energy on full display. Catrin, ever the wry talent, gave humour in speech and simply beautiful playing on her large harp. Together, Wales and Senegal does not seem that far apart, the break down of musical cultures dropping with a huge reverb, its sound a towering influence over the night.

I’ll confess the music here is on a more chilled level, a breezy ambience that never lets up. I found myself craving something with more of a meaty bite, though the eloquence of both players never wained. The kora is a rather subtle instrument, somewhere between a harp, guitar and the strings of a piano. They usually played in harmony, each instrument clear during these moments.

Seckou also shared insights from his country, the idea of the children’s rite of a “standing stick” was amazing. A frustrating moment came later when his mic fell and not a single technician came to assist him. Along with Catrin’s deadpan, they made quite a comedy double, as well as musical bed fellows. The unending, shameless amount of plugs to their new CD started to get absurd as the night went on.

We really should place bets for where Catrin goes globally and who she plays with next. Her journey remains quite the adventure.

Musical

Review Waitress by Bethan Lewis, Wales Millennium Centre, Tuesday 31st May 2022

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out of 5 stars (4 / 5)

Take one charming leading lady, a dollop of catchy songs, a ballad or two to pull on your heartstrings, sprinkle with silliness and mix with loveable characters to create the perfect recipe for a feelgood musical.

The ingredients were expertly balanced at the performance of the Tony Award nominated hit musical Waitress in Cardiff’s Wales Millennium Centre on Tuesday evening.

Based on the 2007 Adrienne Shelly film, Waitress tells the story of Jenna who works in Joe’s Pie Diner in the Deep South.  Jenna is unhappy in her marriage to the controlling Earl and feels trapped in her mundane life where every day is a carbon copy of the last.  To make matters worse, as the show opens, Jenna discovers that she is pregnant, expressing her disappointment during “The Negative” where she is consoled by her colleagues Becky and Dawn.   Jenna finds solace in baking and, in particular, in making pies – she makes a different pie for every day of the week and there isn’t an occasion that she can’t think of the perfect recipe, including “my eggs failed me pie” and “in the pursuit of happiness pie”.  Even though she knows it’s a “Bad Idea” Jenna embarks on an affair with her hunky gynaecologist Dr Pomatter.  We follow her journey as she tries to escape her hum drum life.

On the face of it the storyline is fairly predictable but as it develops we realise there is more to the characters than meets the eye.  Jenna is a complicated leading lady, describing herself as being “imperfect but she tries” – she has an affair, she is unmaternal and she lies to her husband.  In fact, in a turn from traditional musical theatre, all the characters are in some way flawed and morally ambiguous, making them more relatable to the audience. 

The cast are impressive in portraying these characters and all give strong performances, approaching their roles with sensitivity.  Chelsea Halfpenny is particularly noteworthy as Jenna, bringing the house down with her vocal ability in the heart wrenching “She Used to Be Mine”.  Evelyn Hoskins and George Crawford pitch their performances of goofy couple Dawn and Ogie just right, providing plenty of laughs while still making the audience believe in their love story.

The production, directed by Diane Paulus is incredibly slick with effortless scene changes supported by the ensemble.  The majority of the action takes place in the diner which has a view of the open highway projected through the windows.  The performance space is reduced in Jenna and Earl’s home, with the ceiling being lowered and the walls drawn in, giving a visual representation of her claustrophobic life. 

The band, which does an excellent job of executing Sarah Bareilles’ Nashville worthy score, is situated on stage and form part of the action as patrons of the diner.  Although this is a nice effect, it is distracting at times.

There are moments when the show touches on darker, more gritty themes; Earl is abusive towards Jenna and it is suggested that she witnessed domestic violence as a child.  Jenna’s attitude towards her pregnancy is controversial and Becky is clearly struggling in her role as a carer for her husband.  The show only mentions these issues on a surface level and shies away from exploring them in any depth.  Instead, it reverts to lighthearted humour, opting for a “life must go on” attitude.

The influence of Waitress’ female-led creative team is clear to see – the show is ultimately a celebration of friendship and femininity.  Jenna’s transformation is inspired by the birth of her daughter and the support of her friends rather than being influenced by the male characters in her life.

Just like a slice of freshly baked homemade pie, watching Waitress the musical leaves you with a warm, comforting feeling.  This sweet story isn’t necessarily ground-breaking but it will leave you with a smile on your face, a song in your heart and a skip in your step. 

Musical, Theatre

REVIEW Footloose the Musical, New Theatre by Barbara Hughes-Moore

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In the Year of our Lord 1984, a hero rose from obscurity to show a nation – nay, a world – how to lose its blues. The hero was Kevin Bacon, the movie was Footloose, and the story of a teenage boy who convinces a small town to dance again became legend. Now, the creatives behind the ultimate 80s feelgood film have brought it to the stage in a brilliant new musical: a blood-pumping, barnstorming thrill ride that’ll get you out of your seat and onto your feet!

The whole rootin’ tootin’ ensemble

Daniel Miles (filling in for Joshua Hawkins) is fantastic as the rebellious Ren, stepping into Kevin Bacon’s dancing shoes with ease. Star of stage and screen Darren Day does a superb job as the Reverend Moore (his interactions with the crowd are a highlight) and Lucy Munden makes a very impressive stage debut as his daughter Ariel.

Quite the quartet! Left to right: Oonagh Cox (Rusty), Jess Barker (Wendy-Jo), Samantha Richards (Urleen) and Lucy Munden (Ariel)

Every single person on the stage gives a 5-star performance and no-one misses a step, a note or a beat – no small feat, given that the actors are constantly having to swap between costumes, props, and instruments. The multitalented ensemble is on top form, bringing fun and flair to 80s classics like Holding Out for a Hero, Almost Paradise, and Let’s Hear it for the Boy – not to mention the riotous title track, brought to bubbly new life here – but X Factor star Jake Quickenden might just run off with the whole show.

Left to right: the brilliant Oonagh Cox as Rusty and Jake Quickenden as Willard

Playing Ren’s redneck wingman Willard, and simultaneously making the case for Magic Mike: The Musical, Quickenden has the charm and the chops to land every comedic curveball that’s thrown at him. I won’t spoil the best musical number but let’s just say if you’re holding out the a hero, you won’t be disappointed (Kylie Minogue, eat your heart out…)

Left to right: Ben Barrow, Alex Fobbester, and Ben Mabberley – a tremendous musical trio

Fun, frothy and fabulous, Footloose The Musical will truly get you to kick off your Sunday shoes and lose your blues!

Footloose The Musical is playing at the New Theatre Cardiff through Saturday 4 June

You can follow on social media @FootlooseTour  #EverybodyCutLoose

Review by
Barbara Hughes-Moore

Get the Chance supports volunteer critics like Barbara to access a world of cultural provision. We receive no ongoing, external funding. If you can support our work please donate here thanks.

Theatre

Re-Live to premiere new show about loneliness and belonging, created and performed by a cast aged 72 – 95

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Constellations is an honest, moving and at times humorous exploration of the impact of loneliness on our older generation, and the power of community

Devised and performed live over Zoom, Constellations will premiere 15 – 17 June 2022

Welsh Arts in Health charity Re-Live have announced the premiere of their latest creative ageing theatre show – devised and performed by a diverse cast of older people living across Wales, aged between 72 and 95.

Constellations is a candid and urgent exploration of the impact of loneliness and isolation on our elderly community. With playful humour and refreshing honesty the nine members of Re-Live’s Company of Elders explore the stigma of loneliness and how the arts can build resilience to cope and respond to this issue.

In the post-pandemic world, whilst theatre productions are now back ‘in the room’, working with an aging cast presents unique challenges that makes Zoom performances the perfect medium. For some of the cast, ill health means that leaving the house is difficult, for others their geographical isolation keeps them apart. By rehearsing and performing live on Zoom, the pan-Wales cast (from Cardiff to Caernarfon) are able to create together and share their experiences from their homes.

The cast of Constellations includes:

Julian Moyle, an opera singer who at the age of 95 has recently married for the first time making headlines around the world.

Nicky Delgado, 74, who had a stroke during lockdown, is rehabilitating his speech and movement through taking part in the project. His stroke has left him unable to leave the house, but in the digital world he can express his poetic soul from his armchair.

Jill Grey, 82, received a scam phone call and shares its devastating impact on her confidence and desire to connect with others. Jill uses the arts to boost her wellbeing, through summoning memories of Jive nights in 1950s Cardiff.

Nora Jones, 76, is living with Parkinson’s and shares how despite the challenges she faces in her life as an older person, the greatest challenge of her life was combating isolation when living in London. Since she moved back to Wales in later life, she has found a new sense of community and loves nothing more than speaking Welsh again.

The performance is in memory of Company of Elders member Michael/Michelle O’Neil, 84. During their time in the group Michael/Michelle was able to share their transgender identity, and how living with the secret had prevented them from finding real belonging. Michael/Michelle died in April, but they found total acceptance within this group of creative, non-judgemental older people.

“Digital exclusion can have a hugely negative impact on an older person’s life, leading to an increase in loneliness and social isolation.” says Karin Diamond, Artistic Director of Re-Live.

“Since Covid we all understand how vital it is to be connected digitally, but it’s a myth that most older people in Wales are online. Re-Live are delighted to partner with Welsh Government to enable this incredible group of inspirational elders to connect online and get creative together.

“Older people have so much to share, and we all miss out when we don’t hear directly from them. The Company of Elders are paving the way to inspire older people across Wales to get creative online. They are crossing the digital divide, in some style.

“It’s been amazing to discover how much you can do on Zoom with a group of older people who are all in different places around Wales. The level of intimacy and connection in a shared online space is remarkable. It can also be deeply frustrating when someone has logged off accidentally, or their computer is suddenly restarting. But despite the technical hiccups every member of the Company of Elders is a star, and though they live far apart they come together online to form a bright new constellation.”

Constellations will premiere live over Zoom at 1pm on 15, 16 and 17 June 2022, with an evening performance at 7pm on 16 June. Tickets are priced as pay-what-you-can and are available from http://www.re-live.org.uk/constellations

Musical, Theatre

PREVIEW: Interview with Footloose designer Sara Perks

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What follows is a syndicated interview with Footloose designer Sara Perks

Following two critically acclaimed tours and huge popular demand, Footloose The Musical is back and better than ever! Touring the UK until August.

This brand-new production of Footloose is created by Sara Perks who has designed in the region of 250 productions. Sara has been nominated for Broadway World Awards, a Whats On Stage Award and an Offies Award. She holds an Edinburgh Fringe First; The John Elvery Theatre Design Award and a Vision Design (Costume) Award from the BBC.

We spoke with her to find out more about the life of a Theatre Designer and to find out more about her inspiration for the Footloose Uk Tour.

Can you tell us a little bit about life as a theatre designer – what made you go into this field and who or what were your inspirations

At the moment it’s very busy but it tends to be a bit ‘feast or famine’.  Currently I’m working on four shows which are all at different stages in the process.  For me Covid has meant that all my work suddenly got bunched up together which makes for a lot of plate spinning and juggling of schedules.

My inspirations were and still are the ability to create a live experience that an audience is able to experience together and enjoy together in the same room.  To be connected to something visceral that is happening in front of them – nothing will ever replace that.

You have designed both the costumes and the set for this brand-new production. What is the process of making this happen?

A designer’s process follows a set of deadlines really.  I discuss the needs and wants of the production with producers and the director initially, then filtering in what the choreographer, musical director and lighting designer would like to achieve. 

All of this along with my own creative reaction to the piece results in a preliminary design – a ‘white-card’ model box which is a scale model of the proposed design at 1:25, with technical drawings.  This is then commented upon by the creative team and producers and roughly costed, because of course there is a budget attached to every production that needs to be considered as well.

I would then take the design and model to the next stage – a final.  This would be in full colour with all the chosen finishes and renders. This is then costed and signed off precisely. 

An independent scenic workshop is selected on tender to build.  From that point I work between them, the production manager, the rest of the creative team and rehearsals to try to ensure everything is on track, and make sure information and alterations proceeds as required

And that is just the set.  What about costumes?

Amongst this whole process (which can span over years or just weeks depending on the size of project) I’m busy designing costume. There are similar deadlines, but these tend to be a bit more fluid especially if it is a show that is more based on sourcing vintage items to buy, rather than having a lot of costumes made.

Footloose being set in the 80s was almost all vintage sourcing so I worked very closely with a costume supervisor, my right hand really when it comes to costume, to make that happen.  We shop, buy online, fit and alter, adapt and repurpose all through the rehearsal process and well into the technical rehearsals in order to create the right looks.

It’s a big cast – how many costumes were sourced and created?

After we got past 80+ we stopped counting!

Can you tell us about what audience expect to see in terms of design and what helped to influence this.  Can we expect a real 80’s vibe?

When we started the process (over 2 years ago – a small thing called a pandemic got in the way!) the restyling 80s retro look was very in vogue. 

We looked at shows like Stranger Things and 2 years later – Sex Education, in the way that they are clearly 80s but restyled with a modern eye, and not completely slavish to period.  It was all about looking cool and right for character.

However I’m old enough to the remember the film when it came out and was the same age as the characters in the 80s so my own experience went to some of the costume and hair inspiration!

In regard to the set the inspiration for it really is the classic iron rivetted bridges that you find all over America spanning rivers and gorges.  Like the Potanwey bridge that is mentioned by Ariel in relation to her brother.  The Williamsburg bridge in New York is another example.

The bridge and town limits are central to the plot of the show and why the town of Bomont is under restrictions on socialising, so it seemed a good metaphor to use as a frame for the whole concept.

Do you have a favourite costume in the show?

I love Wendy-Jo’s yellow jumpsuit; and there are several great classic 80s prom dresses in purple; green and cerise, but I think the Rev’s white sequin jacket for the mega mix would have to be the favourite.  And Darren Day wears it so well!

Many might say ‘the gold pants’ (and those who see the show will know why!)  Tell us a bit about the gold pants! Although most of the design is new they’ve been revived from previous productions is that right?

These are a bit of a ‘surprise’ in the show – I  won’t give it away completely – but they always go down a storm with audiences so we decided to keep it in for this new production.  For me it’s the highlight of the show!

Finally, what would be your top tip for audience members who might come along dressed up for the show – how do you create the perfect ‘Footloose’ outfit?

It’s not just a pair of legwarmers or neon socks.  You could choose to go full ‘cowboy’ and join in with some line dancing at the ‘bbq’ at the start of the 2nd half; or grab a taffeta block colour party dress or ra-ra skirt for the prom.  If you want a more tailored look a velvet or sequin tux with jeans would fit right in as well.

Based on the 1980s screen sensation which took the world by storm, Footloose The Musical sizzles with spirit, fun and the best in UK musical talent. With cutting edge modern choreography, you’ll enjoy classic 80s hits including Holding Out for a Hero, Almost Paradise, Let’s Hear It For The Boy and of course the unforgettable title track Footloose.

Everybody cut loose for a night of dazzling excitement music and dancing!  

For full listings visit www.footloose-musical.com  follow on social media @FootlooseTour  #EverybodyCutLoose

Musical, Theatre

PREVIEW: Interview with Footloose star Darren Day

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What follows is a syndicated interview with Footloose star Darren Day

Following two critically acclaimed tours and huge popular demand, Footloose The Musical is back and better than ever! Touring the UK until August. TV star and musical theatre favourite Darren Day joins the cast of the tour as Rev. Moore and we caught up with him to find out a little more about the tour and his role in the show. 

You’re back on the road In Footloose The Musical how does it feel to be back on tour?

We were about to go into rehearsals for Footloose when the Pandemic hit and the tour was rescheduled a few times before dates were set for our 2022 opening, almost a full two years later than originally planned and it is amazing to be back out there with the show.

2020 was devastating for us all.  But coming out of the other end things have really started moving quickly for me. Having not been able to perform during the pandemic, going back on stage and being part of a big musical feels so magical, in the way it felt when I landed the role of Joseph at the Palladium at the beginning of my career.  

I recently finished the UK tour of Chicago which was brilliant and during that tour I saw a genuine thirst for live theatre so couldn’t be more delighted than to move straight into another tour with Footloose.

In all of my years as a performer in Musical Theatre I don’t think I have jumped straight from one tour into another… I feel very lucky.

Can you tell us a little bit about this tour of Footloose?

This production of Footloose is particularly a special, even if you have seen it before you will want to see it again… and this new version will blow you away.  It’s been reworked with a new set, new costumes. The lot. 

Racky Plews, who’s directing, has brought an edgy and exciting new take on the show. She’s been working closely with the writer of the original movie and songs, Dean Pitchford and his input into this new production has been invaluable.

The cast and the whole team on this are truly ‘the cream of the crop’ a really gifted bunch of performers. Acting, singing, dancing and playing instruments throughout the show.

And what about your role as the Reverend?

I’m so happy to be playing the Reverend. Over a decade ago I met with the producers for Footloose and Chicago within about three months of each other. I was told I didn’t look old enough! So … the only downside of me playing these two roles back-to-back is that I must now look ‘old enough!!’

Since those meetings all those years ago Billy Flynn and the Reverend have been on my bucket list of roles I desperately wanted to play, so to get the opportunity to play them both in one year is incredibly exciting for me and I feel deeply grateful.

Having a teenage daughter myself (in real life!) I have a lot of ‘method’ experience to draw upon! It’s tough letting your ‘little princess’ out into the big bad world!

What do you think keeps Footloose so fresh and keeps audiences coming back for more?  

The great thing about Footloose which I think separates it from other ‘jukebox’ shows is that Dean Pitchford wrote the songs specifically for the movie. So, not only are these songs instantly recognisable the second the intro to them begins. they also carry the plot forward in a very truthful way. Apologies for that sounding incredibly ‘arty’ and ‘theatrical’ But they do!

In the show there are these massive hit tunes that everyone recognises along with a strong and beautiful storyline.  It’s a really feel-good show – no doubt about it.  

Do you have a favourite moment in the show?

I guess one of my favourite moments in the show is my solo song ‘Heaven Help Me’ It’s a brilliant tune with beautifully written lyrics. Also the poignant moments with the Reverend’s daughter are lovely to play – and the revelations that happen to him.  

My favourite moment in the rehearsal room was when I sat and watched the cast perform the opening number of the title song. I got goosebumps and thought to myself if this is how it feels in a rehearsal room the way it’s going to feel with a set, costumes and on a stage with an audience will be breath-taking.

Finally – why do you think people should come and see Footloose this year across the UK?

You are going to have the most incredible night. You’re going to hear songs that are instantly recognisable, and I challenge you not to sing along to them. There are big numbers, there’s a beautiful story going on, the cast are ridiculously talented.  You’ll leave the theatre buzzing after having a very special night out.  We will have a ball and I can’t wait to see everyone up on their feet at the end to cut loose!

Based on the 1980s screen sensation which took the world by storm, Footloose The Musical sizzles with spirit, fun and the best in UK musical talent. With cutting edge modern choreography, you’ll enjoy classic 80s hits including Holding Out for a Hero, Almost Paradise, Let’s Hear It For The Boy and of course the unforgettable title track Footloose..

Everybody cut loose for a night of dazzling excitement music and dancing!  

For full listings visit www.footloose-musical.com  follow on social media @FootlooseTour  #EverybodyCutLoose and follow Darren @DarrenDayOfficial for a peek behind the scenes of the tour!